The Child of Hellfire
by Lord Lycaon
Summary: (Sequel to The Knights of Olympus) When the child of darkness reaches the eighteenth year of life, an immeasurable evil shall awaken and consume the world. Only the offspring of this very evil can stop it, but that very light of hope may also destroy all things. This is a power that even gods may fear.
1. Two of Seven

**Hey, everybody! How's life? Anyway, I'm pleased to say that the sequel to The Knights of Olympus is up and ready! But before you read, be warned: some of this story _might_ be a little bit offensive to some people. If you are offended by anything in this, please remember that this is just a story, and that I in no way aim to degrade any religions, races, men/women, ethnicities, or anyone in any way. Now, on with the story.**

-o-

Tatsuki yawned exhaustedly as she walked down the street. She had been up all night cramming for this year's midterms. Add the fact that she wasn't too big a fan of mornings, and one could say that she looked like a complete mess. On the bright side though, this was her final year in high school. Her parents had already gotten her to apply for a local college, which she was kind of looking forward to.

Her mind slowly began to wander to last night. When she had fallen asleep, she had had the weirdest dream. All she could really remember was that there was a lot of fire, and a bunch of shadowy figures in the background. She also remembered hearing something about a choice and "dire consequences," whatever that meant. She was able to shrug it off as just bizarre dream, the result of which was her making sure that she wouldn't stay up past two in the morning again.

"Tatsuki!" a girl's voice suddenly called. She turned to see Ichigo and Orihime waving to her. Orihime had a huge smile on her face, as usual. Ichigo had a small, but noticeable smirk on his face. Ever since the two had started dating, he had become more and more outgoing. He also injured Keigo less, which was a fairly good thing.

Tatsuki waved back to her friends, who walked over and joined her walk. "You ready fpr the midterms?" Ichigo asked.

Tatsuki smirked cockily. "Yeah. I aim to ace that stupid test."

"Great!" Orihime said happily. "Hey! Maybe, once we graduate, we can all go to the same college together! Wouldn't that be great?"

"Yeah," Tatsuki agreed. "What about you, Ichigo? What are you gonna do?"

"I got an invitation from the Soul Society," the orange-haired teen said. "Old Man Yamamoto, the leader of the Soul Reapers-" (he said this so that Tatsuki knew who he was talking about) "-said that I could help teach Soul Reapers-in-training how to fight. He's said that I've more than proven myself on more than one occasion. Considering the fact that I've saved the world twice, I guess he's right."

"That's so cool, Ichigo!" Orihime said in congratulations to her boyfriend. "Getting to train Soul Reaper trainees is so amazing!"

"Yeah," Tatsuki said quietly. "Amazing."

-o-

"We need that kid," said a man with a look of selfish desire in his eyes. "Once we're done, I'm keeping that one to myself." He was suddenly slapped on his head. He glared at his attacker angrily. "What in our master's name was that for!?"

"Just stop talking," said an unnaturally curvaceous woman with an angry scowl on her face. "You'll blow our cover." She sighed in frustration. "I'm shocked that your avarice hasn't ruined you yet."

"I could say the same about you and all your little boy toys, sis," the man said with a chuckle as the woman glared at him.

"Whatever. Just remember that we need that child alive."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." The pair then vanished from their hiding place.

-o-

_Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap._

Tatsuki eyed one of the questions on her test paper, unconsciously tacking her pencil on her desk. It was an old habit of hers. The rhythmic sound helped her think to some degree. She struggled to think what the answer to the question might have been.

_In what region did the Takeda Cavalry confront the Tokugawa army in 1572?_

She sighed depressingly. She had completely forgotten to review her history book. She flipped through the remaining pages in the stapled packet. From she could see, it was mostly history questions. She groaned quietly and looked out the large window to her left. She couldn't help but feel as though something was… off. Like something was going to happen sooner or later. She soon refocused on her test. She had to at least try to pass.

-o-

Ichigo ate his lunch silently as his friends chatted. Ever since the war at Olympus, things had gone back to their old routine. Wholes to perform konso on, Hollows to kill, same old, same old. Not that he was complaining. He enjoyed having his powers back, and being able to protect his friends and loved ones again felt great.

As he ate, he noticed that Tatsuki was unusually quiet. She also didn't seem to have much of an appetite, because most of her food was still on her tray.

"Hey, Tatsuki," he said, cutting off one of Keigo's nonsensical rants. The dark-haired girl faced Ichigo with slight surprise on her face. "Is something wrong? You're acting kind of weird today."

All attention was suddenly on her. She felt oddly uncomfortable. She set her tray down and said, "I'm fine. I just didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night, that's all."

"Hey, don't feel bad!" Orihime said in an attempt to cheer up her best friend. "Lots of people have trouble sleeping, especially when there's a big test the next day."

Tatsuki shook her head. "It's not just a lack of sleep. It's…" She trailed off a little. When everyone gave her expecting looks, she sighed and said, "I had this weird dream where-"

An explosion interrupted her, accompanied by a sudden burst of spiritual pressure. Everyone's attention instantly turned away from Tatsuki and towards the direction of the huge crash. Ichigo scowled and went into his Soul Reaper form. He handed his real body to Keigo and Mizuiro.

"I'll go check it out!" he said. "Uryu, Chad, you guys come with me. Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, Orihime, you go take care of anybody who's hurt!"

"Who made you the leader?" Uryu asked cynically as he pushed up his glasses.

"Now's not the time!" Tatsuki exclaimed. "People might be hurt! Let's just go!" With that, she headed off with Orihime, Keigo, and Mizuiro (that latter two carrying Ichigo's body) to take care of any injured people.

-o-

The avaricious man laughed at his handiwork. This had been more fun than he thought. he really did love causing a little bit of mayhem every now and then, but blowing up populated areas was surprisingly low on his sadistic list of things he loved to do.

"Man, I love that smell!" he shouted. "The scent of fear and instinct! I love it almost as much as cold, hard cash!"

"So you're the one who blew up our school?" said a voice that was filled with anger. The man turned to see an orange-haired Soul Reaper, an incredibly tall young man, and a poindexter with a weird glowing bow.

The man raised an eyebrow at the group, then chuckled malevolently. "Yeah, that was me. What are you three losers gonna do about it, eh?"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the man. The stranger had jet black hair and wore a black, sleeveless shirt, revealing toned arms. He also wore a pair of black denim pants. He could see next to nothing but selfish want in the man's coal black eyes. "Just who are you anyway, pal?"

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked!" the man replied with a sinister grin. "I am want given physical form! I desire money, women, and power! I enjoy the finer things in life! I am Greed the Avaricious of the Seven Sins!"

"Seven Sins?" Uryu asked as he notched an arrow.

"That's right," Greed said with a smirk. "And right about now, my partner's going after our target."

"What!?" all three teens shouted at the same time. Ichigo Flash Stepped over to Greed, his zanpakuto poised to decapitate the selfish man. "Who are you after? Tell me!"

Greed grinned evilly. "Let's just say that the kid's got a hell of a punch."

-o-

Tatsuki, with help from Keigo and Mizuiro, managed to help evacuate the school before anyone could get severely hurt. Fortunately, the only major injuries were a broken arm and a couple sprained body parts. When the other students had gotten to safety, Orihime began heading for where the explosion had taken place. Tatsuki followed her, determined not to let her best friend get hurt. Both of them stopped when they heard an unfamiliar voice.

"How quaint," a woman's voice said in a singsong tone. They both turned to see an impossibly beautiful woman with curves that were just downright unnatural. She wore a black, strapless dress that revealed a good bit of cleavage, but not too much to be called truly racy. Her hair was a shining black hue that was clearly every bit as soft as one could possibly imagine. Her skin was fair and utterly flawless. To put it simply, the woman had looks that other women would kill for.

Despite the woman's almost goddess-like appearance, neither Orihime nor Tatsuki could ignore that sense of dread that came with the woman's huge spiritual pressure. Soon, Orihime asked, "Who are you?"

The woman gave a smile that could've turned a gay man completely straight. "Isn't it customary to give your own name before asking for another's?" When she received no answer, she shrugged. "Such rudeness. Oh well. You're only children, so I guess it can't be helped." She performed a curt bow. "I am Lust the Lascivious of the Seven Sins." She then pointed at Tatsuki. "I honestly don't care for the other girl, but you, Tatsuki Arisawa, vital."

Tatsuki's eyebrows raised in surprise. "What do you mean 'vital'?"

"You don't know? How troublesome." Lust crossed her arms under her… impressive chest. "It's hurtful really. But I guess it only makes, sheltered as you are."

_Sheltered?_ Tatsuki thought. She was growing more and more suspicious of this woman every second.

"Your so-called 'parents' never told you the truth," Lust said in obvious disappointment. "Humans should know better than involve themselves in affairs that don't concern them. But for so long, they've hidden the truth from you. If you had known, we would've met a long time ago." She grinned, as if suddenly pleased. "To tell you the truth, I've been dying to meet you."

"And just why is that?" Tatsuki demanded.

"Why so vicious?" Lust asked in an offended tone. "We should be getting along. After all…" She grinned again, but this time, it was much darker. "We _are_ sisters."


	2. Reapers

Tatsuki stared at Lust in utter disbelief. Had she heard her right? "Did you just say… sisters?"

Lust chuckled. It was dark and sweet at the same time. "Of course I did. Look at us. Our hair, our eyes, even our faces are similar. Well, to some degree at least." She motioned with her hand and said, "Come with me, Tatsuki. You don't belong here. Come with me, and I'll take you to your true family."

At that, Orihime stepped in front of Tatsuki, a hand on one of her hairpins. "I won't let you take Tatsuki! If you want her, then you'll just have to get through me!" Lust stared at redhead quietly for several seconds. She then held a hand over her mouth as she laughed. Orihime's glare intensified a little. "What's so funny?"

"You, little girl. Do you really think that such a weak being as yourself can ever hope to defeat me?" She suddenly dashed in front of the redhead, a sadistic smirk on her face. "You're ten thousand years too weak." And with that, Orihime was kicked aside like a human ragdoll, crashing into a tree with sickening crunch and a scream of pain.

"Orihime!" Tatsuki shouted. She started to run to her friend, but was stopped by Lust. "Get out of my way, you freak!"

"You really shouldn't talk to your big sister like that, Tatsuki," Lust said with a smile.

"You're not my sister!" Tatsuki roared at the dark-haired woman. "Now get out of my way before-!" Suddenly, Lust flicked her on her forehead, sending the girl flying into the concrete wall of Karakura High. Tatsuki coughed up blood from the impact as she fell to the ground. She looked up and saw Lust sauntering toward her.

She slowly picked herself up off the ground as the freak of nature stopped in front of her. She glared at Lust angrily. She stood up, her knees shaking and her arms suddenly feeling numb. _Come on, Tatsuki. Stand up! Throw a punch! Do something!_

Lust held out her hand. "You still have the option of coming with me. Agree, and I'll spare your little friend over there."

"Don't you dare touch her, you monster!"

"And what will you do if I do?" Lust asked in a sadistic tone. She turned and began walking toward Orihime's limp, unconscious form.

"No!" Tatsuki tried to go after her, but her legs suddenly gave in to her own weight, and she fell flat on her face. "Get away from her!"

"Too little," Lust said as she stopped in front of Orihime's prone body. "Too late." She raised her arm, which suddenly turned into an elegantly designed blade. But just as she was about to swing down…

They suddenly heard music from a flute. It was somber tune, and slowly picked up to be a little more energetic. Both conscious females looked to the source of the song. A figure wearing a black outfit that resembled a European monk's robes was sitting on the roof of the school. A dark hood hid its face. When it stopped playing its music, it slid its flute into its sleeve, then picked something up off the roof. That something turned out to be a large scythe.

"Hey, Lust," the figure said in a masculine voice. "It's been a while since I've seen you. The years haven't been very kind to you, have they?"

Lust sneered at the man. "You…"

-o-

Greed laughed evilly as he punched Chad square in the face, sending him flying into a tree. He then dashed over to Uryu and kicked him in the gut, the impact sending the Quincy painfully into the ground. The Avaricious then back-flipped over Ichigo, who had tried to cleave Greed in half with a horizontal slash. Greed countered the attack by slamming his shin into the orange-haired teen's back. Ichigo tightened his jaw to keep himself from shouting in pain, then swung his zanpakuto, missing his target completely.

"Is that all you punks have got?" Greed asked sadistically. "Come on! Give me more! Show me what you can really do!"

"Dammit!" Ichigo shouted. _I'll have to use bankai!_ He was about to do just that when, out of nowhere…

"Look out below!" shouted a girl's voice. Everyone looked up to see a figure wearing a black falling to Earth and screaming in excitement. When the girl crashed into the ground, creating a pillar of dirt and debris, they all heard crazy giggling. "That was so much fun! I wanna do that again!" The girl stepped out of the cloud of dust, twirling a scythe with expert movements. She then faced Greed.

"What the hell?" Greed asked with a confused expression.

"Hi ya!" the girl said as she took down her hood. She had brown hair and wild, dark eyes. She only looked about fourteen "I'm Raven! My brother and I are here to slay demons like you!"

"Slay… demons…" Greed suddenly exploded with laughter. "HAHAHA! Yeah right! You're just a little snot-nosed brat! Like you could ever-!" He stopped as soon as he realized that the girl's scythe's blade was at his throat.

"You really shouldn't make fun of people," Raven stated with a pouty look on her face. "Especially when that person is a Grim Reaper."

_A Grim Reaper?_ Ichigo thought. He was about to ask the girl what she meant when he suddenly felt a huge wave of spiritual pressure. "What the hell?"

The girl giggled playfully. "I guess my big brother is ready to fight. And from the looks of things, he's fighting that other demon."

"Other demon!?" Ichigo shouted.

"Don't worry!" Raven assured the orange-haired Soul Reaper. "My brother is one of the strongest Grim Reapers alive. He can handle anything!"

Greed scowled in frustration. _Dammit! I thought we'd have more time! I have to get to Lust so we can get out of here!_ He suddenly dropped down, catching Raven by surprise. He then did quick sweep kick, tripping the young Grim Reaper. He then sprinted away in the direction of that spiritual pressure.

Ichigo was about to go after him, but the girl suddenly appeared in front of him. "Don't worry about him. Like I said, my brother can handle anything."

-o-

Lust glared at the newcomer with utter contempt. "Damn you, you cursed Grim Reaper."

The stranger leaped from the roof, landing gently next to Tatsuki, who stared at the man in surprise and awe. "Come on, Lusty. Is that how you greet an old friend? I know it's been a long time, but do you really have to be so rude?"

"Who are you?" Tatsuki asked the man. The stranger chuckled and took down his hood. His hair was a dark brown, and his eyes were hazel. He wore glasses over his eyes, giving him a bit of an educated look. He looked about her age.

"I'm David Marshall," he said with a cocky smirk. "I'm a Grim Reaper. And I'm here on business. So please, don't get in the way if you can help it." He went into a stance, his scythe at the ready. "All right, Lust. Bring it on."

"Lust!" shouted a man's voice. Lust faced the newcomer, who turned out to be Greed. "We're out of time! We have to go!"

Lust sneered angrily. She glared hatefully at David. "You were lucky this time, Marshall. The next time we meet though, I _will_ kill you." She went over to join Greed. "Let's go, Greed." They were both suddenly enveloped in a tornado of blue fire. When the tornado disappeared, so did Greed and Lust.

David went out of his stance and sighed. "Sheesh. And right when I was ready to fight, too." He turned and faced Tatsuki. "Are you all right?" Tatsuki nodded in confirmation. "Good. It would go against my personal code if an innocent person was hurt. Then again…" He faced her with an analytical look.

"Orihime! Tatsuki!" called Ichigo's voice. The pair turned to face the orange-haired Substitute, along with Chad, Uryu, and another black-cloaked stranger, this one a fourteen-year-old girl. "Tatsuki, what happened?"

"Some weird woman appeared out of nowhere and attacked us," Tatsuki explained as she stood up carefully. "This guy appeared and apparently scared her and some other guy off."

"No need to thank us!" the girl said with a huge grin. "It's all in the Grim Reaper job description!"

"Care to explain what a Grim Reaper is exactly?" Uryu asked with an inquisitive look.

David and Raven both grinned happily. "I'm glad you asked," David said.

-o-

Lust paced in front of a pair of massive doors. She would have to explain to her master why she and Greed weren't able to get the girl. She continued to mentally curse at that damned Grim Reaper. She wasn't exactly looking forward to reporting bad news.

"Enter," said a calm voice. Lust froze as the massive doors opened. She hesitated, then took a deep breath. She walked in. When she got to the center of the room, she knelt down. "Lust. Tell me. What happened in the human world?"

Lust looked up at her master, who sat in a throne that had a raging blue fire floating above it. To his left stood a woman who had an intrigued grin on her face. To his right was an unnaturally tall and thin man who seemed to emit an air of disturbing calm. Lust took a deep breath before she spoke, giving a detailed report about what had happened.

Her master listened carefully, taking in every detail. When she finished, he dismissed her. Lust then left the room. "So, the girl knows about her true bloodline now. This will make things much simpler."

"Yes," said the tall man. "I suppose that means that I won't be involved in future missions regarding Ms. Arisawa?"

"No," the man in the throne answered with the utmost certainty in his voice. "But the involvement of the Grim Reapers shall complicate things to some degree. We will have to accelerate our plans to suit this development." _But with or without the intervention of the Reapers, I shall still initiate this war. And soon, I shall have that which is rightfully mine._


	3. True Evil

Tatsuki paced impatiently in the Urahara Shop. David and Raven had said that they needed to speak with Kisuke about something before they could explain anything. She couldn't stand it. She had too many questions to just be ignored.

"What's wrong, Tatsuki?" Orihime asked with a curious look. Tatsuki faced her friend with a dumbfounded expression.

"Did you forget?" Tatsuki asked with a huff. "That freaky woman called me her sister! That's what's wrong!"

"Tatsuki," Ichigo said, getting the dark-haired girl's attention. "Don't worry. Whoever that woman was, she was probably just trying to psych you out."

"But why _me_? There's nothing extraordinary about me. Aside from being able to see ghosts and stuff, I'm completely normal."

"That's where you're wrong," said a male voice. All eyes fell on David, who had just returned to the room with Raven and Kisuke. "The Sins don't approach humans unless they play some kind of role in one of their plans. And like it or not, you're their latest interest."

Tatsuki's eyes went wide with disbelief. "But _why_? There's no way I could be related to those guys! What the hell could they possibly want with me?"

"We don't really know," Raven said somewhat regretfully. "We don't usually learn what the Sins' plans are until the last minute. Sometimes we stop them, sometimes we can't."

"What do you mean by that?" Uryu asked. "How powerful are these 'Sins'?"

"Just one of the Seven Sins can topple entire empires single-handedly," David said flatly. Ichigo, Orihime, Uryu, Chad, and Tatsuki all stared at the Grim Reaper with wide eyes. "Fortunately, their number remains strictly seven. No more, no less."

"Why is that?" Orihime asked.

David sighed. "Lust, Greed, Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, Wrath, and Pride. Those are the Seven Deadly Sins. They act as generals in Hell's army."

"Uryu and I have actually been to Hell," Ichigo stated. "We never encountered those guys before."

Both Grim Reapers and Kisuke chuckled. When they were given strange looks, Kisuke said, "There's more than one hell, Ichigo." Everyone's eyes widened at the revelation. More than one hell? Is that possible? "You see, there's one set of afterlife worlds for each inhabited continent. Each continent has its own way taking care of the deceased. For example: the Greek God of Death, currently Ulquiorra as I recall being told, takes on all responsibility for exorcising Hollows and helping Wholes pass on to the Underworld, which is split into different regions. There's Asphodel – which is pretty much Limbo – the Fields of Punishment – kind of self-explanatory – and Elysium – that's where all the good and pure souls go. And in actuality, Soul Reapers take charge of all of Asia, save for Russia. That still falls under European jurisdiction."

David nodded and took over the explanation. "You can probably tell from our faces and accents, but we Grim Reapers are from North America. To the truth, we're not too much different from Soul Reapers. Our forces are also divided into thirteen groups that we call battalions rather than squads. And just like how we've always fought Hollows, we've also fought genuine demons."

"D-demons?" Orihime stammered.

Raven suddenly shot her hand up in the air, clearly excited for some reason. David nodded, letting his little sister speak. "The Sins are seven of the most powerful demons of all. Under their master, the Dark Prince, along with two others who serve as the Prince's greatest soldiers, they command an army of monsters that are utterly merciless. Their leader ultimately aims to annihilate all human life in the world."

"But why would they want to do that?" Tatsuki asked, already not liking where this was going. "Who _is_ their leader anyway?"

David, Raven, and Kisuke all looked at each other for a brief moment. From the look on Kisuke's face, none of the Japanese teens were going to like the answer to Tatsuki's question. David was the one to speak first, saying, "Let answer your question with another question: in Christianity, who is the supreme evil being that epitomizes all things chaotic?"

The dark silence hung in the air for several seconds. Everyone's eyes were the size of dinner plates now. "No way," Ichigo said in a rare stammer. "He can't be real."

"For someone who's seen the impossible before, you sure are narrow-minded," David chided. He put his hands together so that his fingers were interlocked, resting his elbows on the small table in the room. "The force we deal with… it's led by something so dark and malevolent that it makes everything else that you've ever fought look like the calm before the storm."

"Is he really that powerful?" Uryu asked.

"Yes," David stated with a clearly perturbed expression. "It only makes sense. Especially when you consider that fact that he's Lucifer."

-o-

**Well, the bad guy's been revealed. And it's not just any villain, but the ultimate great-great-granddaddy of all things evil. Anyway, I'd originally planned for this chapter to be a little longer, but I figured that this would be a good place to end it. So says my author's instincts. Anyway, I'll see you guys later... so to speak.**


	4. Dread

Tatsuki trudged back home as if in a trance. She had just learned about an ultimate evil that's plotting world domination via the end of human life. _Not_ a very good thing to hear about. What made things worse was that she was beginning to have doubts about herself. That woman, Lust… she had said that they were sisters. Could she be somehow related to that supreme evil? And if so, why was she living in Karakura, Japan instead of in the North American version of hell? Could her parents know about any of this?

And that's when a very frightening light bulb clicked on in her head: was she even _related_ to her parents? Lust had pretty said that she wasn't. Could an incarnation of one of the Seven Deadly Sins really be trusted? In all honesty, she didn't know what to think anymore.

It was fairly dark when she finally got back home. She entered somberly, and headed for the dining room, where her parents were waiting for her to arrive for dinner.

"Welcome home, sweetie!" her mother greeted with a warm smile. "How was school?"

Tatsuki didn't answer. She simply took a seat, picked up some chopsticks, and just started poking her mother's homemade curry. She didn't have much of an appetite at the moment.

"Tatsuki?" her father asked. "Is something wrong?"

She was silent for several seconds before she asked her question. "Mom… Dad… are you really my parents?"

Dead silence followed. Her mother and father both shared shocked glances before her father sighed. "I guess it's time you knew the truth." Tatsuki looked up at him in surprise as he stood from his seat, motioning for her to follow.

He led her to the closet that was under the stares. He rummaged through the controlled chaos of the small space before he pulled out a relatively small box. It looked like the type of box that evidence from a crime would've been stored in. He removed the lid and skimmed through a variety of old-looking folders before pulling one out. "Here. It's better that you know sooner or later anyway."

Tatsuki took the folder and opened it. When she saw the contents, her eyes widened. The folder held an adoption certificate.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked as her eyes slowly became wet.

"We didn't want you thinking that you were abandoned," her _father_ replied. "We don't know who your real parents are. The people at the adoption center said that they found you on their doorstep one day." He went silent for several seconds afterward as Tatsuki's eyes started leaking. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" she said in an offended tone, glaring at him with tearful eyes. "You'd better damn well be!" Her father looked at her with shock evident in his features. "You've been lying to me my whole life! Would it have killed you to tell the truth? Well?"

He was at a loss for words. Tatsuki had shouted at him before, sure. But it had been out of anger. He desperately wanted to say something, even as his adopted daughter turned on heel and headed upstairs to her bedroom. Feeling dejected, he went back to the dining room, where his wife sat, her face dour. She had obviously heard everything. He sat down quietly.

Soon, they heard Tatsuki stomping down the stairs. When she passed the dining room, they saw that she had her backpack and travelling bag.

"Where are you going?" her _mother_ asked.

"I'm going to Orihime's place," Tatsuki replied rather aggressively. "At least there I'll be with someone that I can trust." Before either of them could respond, she stormed out of the house.

-o-

Orihime had just finished fixing dinner when she heard someone knocking at the door. She was surprised to see Tatsuki at her doorstep carrying a bag that was obviously packed full.

"Hey, Tatsuki!" the redhead said with her usual exuberant smile. "What're doing here?"

"Hey," Tatsuki replied with a weak smile. "Do you think I could stay here for a while? I… I kind of need to be away from my _parents_."

"I don't mind at all! Come on in." The dark-haired girl obliged and set her belongings down on the nearest chair. "You're in luck, Tatsuki! I just finished a brand new recipe! Would you like to give it a try?"

"Uh…" She hesitated to answer. She _really_ didn't want to upset her best friend, but she also _really, really, REALLY_ didn't want to have to get her stomach pumped. "I… already ate dinner. Thanks anyway."

"Okay," Orihime said with a grin. "Well, just make yourself comfortable. I'll be back in a minute." And at that, she made for the kitchen. Tatsuki sighed in relief as she took a seat at the small table in the middle of the room. She was glad to have a friend like Orihime, but she couldn't ever say that the redhead was a five-star chef.

"Nice place, huh?"

Tatsuki yelped in surprise at the sudden voice. She turned, her hand over her chest in an attempt to stop her heart from blowing out of her chest, to see David Marshall the Grim Reaper lounging against the far wall. "What the hell are you doing her!?"

"Raven took a liking to Orihime's personality," he explained with a shrug. "So I figured we could stay here awhile. What about you?"

Tatsuki gave the Reaper a glare. "I had an argument with my parents, so I'm crashing here for the time being."

"Ah, the old 'parental control' scenario, eh?" He suddenly put on the smirk of a typical smartass. He took off his glasses and took small rag out from a hidden pocket, and began wiping the lenses. "Let me guess: they tried to set you up with a guy you didn't like?" Tatsuki shook her head to say no. "Ah, I like a challenge. All right… they don't like the way you act, so they hired a behavioral therapist?" She just gave him a weird look. "No? Hmm… found out that your old man isn't your real father?"

"Something like that," Tatsuki said somberly. "I found out that I was adopted."

"Ouch," David said with pained look. "That's rough." Tatsuki just nodded. There were several seconds of silence after that. Finally, he said, "Can I tell you a secret?" The dark-haired girl looked at him in surprise. "My sister and I are only half-siblings."

"Really?" Tatsuki asked with a caught-off-guard look on her face.

"Yeah," he replied. "My real father abandoned my mother and me before I turned a year old. Raven has no idea, and I don't usually tell anyone about it. In a way, I kind of know how you're feeling right now." He was quiet for a few more seconds. "When you think about it, it may not be coincidence that people like us run into each other."

"What do you mean?"

"Most of my friends have some kind of family issues. Orphaned, abused, alone. You name it."

Strangely, his words brought some relief to her. It felt like the weight that discovering the truth had created had been lessened somewhat. "It still hurts inside though," she said with an almost depressed look.

"Yeah," David replied. "It never really goes away. You just have to learn to live with it." Tatsuki nodded, understanding his meaning. Soon after the conversation, Orihime returned, accompanied by Raven, carrying a good-sized platter of bizarre foods in all shapes and sizes. Tatsuki could've sworn that one pile of spaghetti covered in bright green sauce actually _moved_.

She chuckled at the outrageous assortment. _It's not all bad though._

-o-

Later that night, Tatsuki got a quick shower and got dressed for bed. When she got to Orihime's guest room, Raven had already passed out on the bed, snoring softly. She resisted the urge to just laugh at the American girl. She was bubbly and excitable, but apparently not inexhaustible. She went the futon that she set up next to the bed.

David would be sleeping out in the living room so that he wouldn't bother her and the other girls. She couldn't help but admit that she kind of liked the guy. He was nice, and seemed like he knew a thing or two. It didn't hurt that he had a sort of mystique about him, as if no matter how much you learned about him, there would always be more to find.

As she rested on the futon, her mind began to wander to the events earlier in the day: her school was attacked by a pair of psycho demons, one of whom said that she was their sister, learned that the entire world is being threatened by Satan, and discovered that she was adopted. On a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst possible thing that could happen, today had been an easy one hundred and two. She tried to shrug the memories away and get some sleep.

She later wished she hadn't.

-o-

_She was surrounded by darkness. The emptiness extended as far as the eye could see, and possibly even farther. She looked around, trying find where she was. There was nothing. She was all alone._

_"Tatsuki Arisawa," said a smooth, calm voice from behind. Tatsuki turned to see something completely unnatural. It was a man, easily nine feet tall, with an inhumanly thin frame. His skin was totally white, which was accented by the black business suit that he wore. He had no face._

_"W-who or what are you?" Tatsuki asked as she resisted a sudden urge to run for her life._

_"I believe the better question that you should ask is 'what am _I_'?" the man asked in a mysterious tone. She looked at him with a questioning look. "You should know by now who and what you are. You are the youngest sister to the Seven Deadly Sins. You are to be the one to open the Gates of Hell, and free the Dark Prince. Very soon, you will be faced with a choice: a fork in the road if you will. Regardless of the path you choose, there will be dire consequences."_

_"What are you talking about?" she asked in a confused voice. "What choice? What are you?"_

_"You still insist on asking the wrong questions I see. Very well. I shall answer. In the countless millennia that I have lived, I have gone by as many names. In this modern age, I am most known by the title 'the Slender Man.'"_

_Tatsuki raised an eyebrow at him. She had heard about the Slender Man before. "Yeah, right. Next you'll want me believing in the Tooth Fairy."_

_"I can understand why you would think that," the so-called Slender Man said. "But I assure you, I am quite real. My actual name in Tenebris Pavor. The Dark Dread." Suddenly, flames exploded out of nowhere. Tatsuki screamed in shock at the fire's sudden appearance. It was everywhere. And the sweltering flames weren't even the worst part._

_She could see her friends. All of them. They were screaming in agony as the inferno ate at their flesh. Even Ichigo looked ready to beg for mercy._

-o-

She shot up from her sleep, panting and drenched in a cold sweat. _It was just a bad dream,_ she told herself. It was something she desperately wanted to believe. Something she_ needed_ to believe. But she knew it wasn't true.

Before attempting to go to sleep again, she thought about what that Pavor guy had told her. So she asked the question that he had recommended: _What am I?_


	5. The Angel

Byakuya sighed in relief as he finished his paperwork for the day. Of all the things in the world, paperwork was easily the thing he hated most. But now that he was done, he could finally get back home to his wife Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty, and their two-month-old son. In the two years since the Second Titan War at Olympus, he had been happily married to Aphrodite. Soon, they had healthy baby boy. They had argued over what to name him – either a Japanese or Greek name – but thanks to Rukia's sensible mind, they were able to compromise, named their son Kizoku Cadmus Kuchiki. A pretty presumptuous name, but it had a good ring to it.

He walked down the halls of the Squad 6 barracks, eager to get home before it got too dark out. The sun was already setting, so he knew he had to hurry. But as he exited the barracks, just before he had the opportunity to Flash Step to his home, a messenger appeared before him.

"Captain Kuchiki," the messenger said. "Head Captain Yamamoto has called a captain's meeting. Attendance is mandatory, sir."

Byakuya nodded, mentally sighing. "Very well." The messenger vanished in a Flash Step. Byakuya sighed through his nose. He could only hope that this meeting would be over quickly.

-o-

The gathered captains all stood in their usual order. They murmured in unsettled voices. Even Byakuya and Shunsui were disconcerted by this: even though he had called a meeting, the Head Captain was nowhere to be seen. It was completely out of character for this to happen.

Soon however, the doors to the meeting hall opened, and Yamamoto stepped inside. He eyed the other captains warily through tired eyes before making his way to his usual spot at the end of the room. "Forgive my tardiness, captains," he said in a weary voice. "But now we may begin this meeting. What is so important, Captain Soi Fon?"

Said captain gave a surprised look and said, "I was told that Komamura called this meeting."

"And I was told that it was Captain Hitsugaya," the wolf-headed captain replied.

"I didn't," Toshiro said in an annoyed tone. "What's going on?"

Before anyone could answer, a blinding light suddenly filled the room, forcing the captains to shield their eyes. When the light finally died down, a man who appeared to be in his thirties stood in the exact center of the room it its place. His hair was blonde enough to look like it was made from actual gold, and he wore what looked like the armor that an English knight might wear, but more formfitting. An exquisite dual-edged sword hung from a belt at his waist. His eyes were completely white, but even that was not his most shocking feature; on his back was a pair of divine wings, and from the way they were folded, they had to be at least six feet each.

"Forgive me for deceiving you, Soul Reapers," he said in a calm, distorted voice. The distortion actually made him sound absolutely divine rather than demonic. "It was the only way to gather the strongest of you without causing a riot."

"Who are you?" Soi Fon demanded, her hand already at her zanpakuto's hilt. The winged man faced her with a calculating look that actually sent a chill down her spine.

"I am but a messenger in service to the Almighty," he said to all of them. "My name is Michael. I am an angel who works in the name of God."

"God?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi snorted. "Please. There is no such thing. You on the other hand would make for a fascinating test subject."

Michael regarded the mad scientist with obvious disgust. "I would kill you on the spot for that, were you not already damned to be eternally trapped behind Hell's Gates." The angel turned his focus to Yamamoto. "I am here with a warning. You may choose to heed it, or ignore it. But know that the Child of Hellfire walks within the human world, on the island nation of Japan."

"Child of Hellfire?" Jushiro asked with narrowed eyes.

"That doesn't sound very pleasant," Shunsui said as he lowered his hat to shadow his eyes.

"The Child will choose either a path of light, or a trail of darkness," Michael warned. "If the dark road is chosen, it will mean the end of all life. But if the light is chosen, the world will embrace salvation. This latter route _must_ be the Child's decision, or it will be the end of us all."

"Who is this Child is the first place?" Unohana asked inquisitively.

"Some of you may already know the Child," Michael stated, surprising several of the captains. "It is a young girl by the name of Tatsuki Arisawa. Her eighteenth birthday will be here soon. That will be the day that the world will be on the very brink of annihilation. The Prince of Darkness will free himself from his prison-turned-kingdom, and attempt to overthrow Paradise." Suddenly, Michael's body began to flicker. He examined his palm as this happened. "It would appear that I am needed for another task. I shall return, Soul Reapers. I would hope that you already plan to do something about the Child of Hellfire." And with that, he vanished.

The entire room was silent. Most of the captains were still processing what had just happened. A few of them, including Toshiro, knew of Tatsuki Arisawa, but mostly only because she was friend of Ichigo Kurosaki. They also knew that she had the power to see spirits, but nothing more.

Finally, Soi Fon spoke up. "Head Captain, what do you plan to do?"

The elderly Soul Reaper tugged on his beard, carefully analyzing everything he had just heard. Soon, he said, "We must collect Tatsuki Arisawa before he eighteenth birthday. If we keep her from this 'Prince of Darkness,' perhaps she will be unable to follow this so-called 'dark road'."

"And if we cannot?" Byakuya asked with a raised eyebrow.

Yamamoto sighed. "If bad becomes worse… then we will have no choice but to prevent her eighteenth year."

-o-

"David, Raven!" Orihime called as she and Tatsuki entered her home. "We're back from school!"

"Welcome back!" Raven shouted with an excited wave. She and David were apparently playing a game of checkers… and David only had one piece on the board versus all of Raven's kings.

"Yeah," David said as he fumed over the checkers board. He finally decided to just quit before he broke a blood vessel in his brain. "I already ordered some pizza. I hope you don't mind Orihime."

"That's okay," the redhead replied as she set her schoolbag in its usual spot by the door. "I didn't feel like cooking anyway. What did you-?"

Before she could finish, there was burst of light in the room, temporarily blinding everyone there. When that light died down, all were shocked to see a man with angelic wings standing just little ways away from the table. He studied each of them with pure white eyes before his gaze finally settled on Tatsuki, who just stood with a stunned look on her face.

"Tatsuki Arisawa," the man said. "I am Michael. I was sent by my Lord to inform you of your destiny."

"My destiny?" the dark-haired girl asked. The man nodded. "Does this have something to do with why those Seven Sins guys are after me?"

Michael gave look of slight surprise. "They have grown bold over the millennia," he muttered. "Yes. You may wish to sit down for this. All of you." They reluctantly obliged, each taking a seat around the small table in the middle of the room. Michael sat down with them.

"Well, Mike?" David said impatiently. "Get on with it. What do you know?"

Michael closed his eyes, probably deciding where he should begin. "First, I know of you true parentage, Tatsuki Arisawa." Her eyes widened at that. "Your mother is long dead. She passed away during childbirth." Tatsuki's mood immediately went from surprised to depressed. "And I doubt that you will like who your father is."

"I have to know," Tatsuki said in a solid tone.

Michael nodded. "Very well." Suddenly, Michael's expression became sorrowful, as if he regretted something. "Your father was once a very close friend of mine. Together, we served under our Lord, with your father as His right hand."

"Who is my father?" Tatsuki asked.

Michael was silent for several seconds. "Your father… is Lucifer."

-o-

**And, scene! Yup, Tatsuki is the daughter of Satan. I'll bet a few of you already saw taht one coming. But then again, judging by the reviews so far, I don't think it was very many of you guys. Anyway, I want to talk about Byakuya's son for a minute (for an explanation about Byakuya being married to Aphrodite, you might want to read my othe story "The Knights of Olympus"). "Kizoku" is Japanese, literally meaning "noble." Cadmus is Greek, and translates to "to exceed." So collectively, Kizoku Cadmus, when tranlated from both languages to English, basically means "the noble who exceeds." And yes, I am aware of how epic that sounds.**


	6. Enter Wrath

To say Tatsuki and the others were shocked would've been an understatement. The dark-haired girl stared in utter disbelief at Michael, who sat calmly at the other side of the table.

"Th-that can't be right," she said, her eyes flooded with despair. "You're lying…"

"Angels do not lie, child," Michael said rather coldly. "I am sorry that the truth disturbs you so much, but that cannot be helped. You must come to terms with the fact that you _are_ the daughter of Satan."

"You must've made a mistake!" Orihime said in her friend's defense. "Tatsuki can't be related to a monster! You have the wrong person!"

The angel sighed, as if he regretted telling Tatsuki of her heritage. "Say what you will, but it does not alter the truth. I believe it was Madeleine L'Engle who once said 'Knowledge is changeable. Truth is eternal. It is disastrous to confuse the two.' Like it or not, Tatsuki Arisawa is the Antichrist. The ultimate living weapon. Until recently, Lucifer did not bother to acquire her, thinking that he could corrupt her by her eighteenth birthday; the day Armageddon begins."

Tatsuki just sat silently, a look of fear plastered on her face. Could it really be true? No, of course not! It was impossible! Unthinkable! And yet… it made sense. Why else would the Sins have come after her? She slowly stood up and began walking toward the door.

Orihime was about to follow, but a hand fell on her shoulder. She turned to see David, who shook his head. "I know that look she had. What she needs right now is to be alone with her thoughts. Trust me."

Orihime looked at him with a pleading stare, but his expression remained solid. She couldn't change his mind. She sighed sadly and said, "I… I guess you're right."

Michael eyed the girl. She clearly cared for her friend, even knowing what the Dark-haired girl really was. It was a trait that he unfortunately rarely saw in humans anymore. He quickly found himself admiring this girl. Clearly, she was stronger than she let on. "I had best leave," he said. "My duties still require my presence. And with Armageddon barely two days away, things have become quite hectic iin Paradise."

David nodded in understanding. "Next time, try to bring good news, okay?"

The angel laughed a little. "The next time we meet, I would be willing to bet that we will not have time for good news. We will likely be too busy fighting for our lives." And with that, he was gone in a flash of light.

-o-

Tatsuki leaned against the railing, her brain working at a million miles an hour. She was still processing the fact that she was adopted. And now she learns that she's the daughter of Satan? And not only that, but apparently, her birthday is when Doomsday was scheduled. Talk about a bad present.

She looked up at the sky, trying to find some sort of sign that told her what to do about all this. Apparently, from what that Pavor guy said, the fate of the whole world depended on her decision, and the dad from Hell would try to corrupt her so that she chose his side. She pressed her hands together, as if praying.

_Someone,_ she thought. _Anyone. Please. Help me. I need to know what I should do._ She received no answer but the sound of birds chirping in a nearby tree. She sighed. Of course nobody would answer. Nothing ever came easy, regardless of one's situation. She gave up on asking for help and gazed at the setting sun. It was such a calming, peaceful sight. It always put her at ease.

"A beautiful sight, isn't it?" a man's voice suddenly asked. Tatsuki turned on her heel and looked in the direction of the voice. Leaning against the wall, right next to the door to Orihime's apartment, was a man dressed in a black biker outfit. His hair looked greasy and hastily combed, like he was in a hurry to get ready. He had a cocky grin on his face.

"Just who are you?" Tatsuki asked immediately. She had quickly learned not to trust anyone who snuck up on people.

The biker guy chuckled. "Honestly, I've gone by a few names. But nowadays, I'm called Wrath the Furious. Well, I'm the new one at least. The last got himself killed off by the boss when he went postal when someone forgot his birthday or something like that. Anyway, I was told to bring you back to Hell with me, with or without your consent."

"Do you really think I'd go with you?" Tatsuki asked rhetorically. "I don't care what you do. I'm not going with you."

"Clearly you misheard me," Wrath replied with a scowl. Apparently, he didn't like being argued with. "I said 'with or without your consent.' You really don't have any choice in the matter."

Tatsuki was about to reply, but suddenly, a fist slammed into her gut. She immediately passed out. Wrath held her limp and tossed her up onto his shoulder. "Time to go."

Before he could vanish in a burst of hellfire, however, the door swung open, and a man in black robes brandishing a scythe leaped through the threshold. Wrath barely reacted in time. He jumped away, dropping Tatsuki and standing in the air a good distance away. His eyes narrowed at the Grim Reaper who walked out on the air, his scythe at the ready.

"You're not going anywhere, pal," David Marshall stated with a serious look on his face. "Not without a couple of scrapes at least."

It was at this time that Orihime and Raven came out and knelt over the unconscious Tatsuki. The redhead looked up at Wrath. Her eyes suddenly went wide with recognition.

"Hey!" Wrath said with a maniacal grin on his face. "Now there's a familiar face! You were Athena's little pet for a while, weren't you?"

"It's you," Orihime stammered. She remembered this man from her trip to Olympus, where she trained under Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and Battle. She easily recognized this evil person who had been stripped of his powers two years ago. "You're Ares! The first God of War!"

"Damn straight!" Ares/Wrath replied with a smug look. "Though I go by Wrath now. That was the deal anyway." He muttered this last part too quietly for anyone but himself to hear.

"Why are you here?" David demanded.

"I'm here for the girl." Wrath held out his hand. "Now hand her over, and no one gets hurt."

"Not a chance, greasy!" Raven spat the Sin, who sneered contemptuously.

"Watch what you say, brat. I can kill you in an instant." As if on cue, a blade appeared at Wrath's throat. The Sin turned and saw David with his scythe ready to sever his head.

"If you dare lay a hand on my sister," the Grim Reaper said with a dangerous look, "I'll cut off your head and use your neck as a piss trough."

Wrath chuckled. "Well, you at least look like you could be fun. I guess I'll kill you first." He then vanished in a flicker of movement and reappeared behind David, turned just in time to block a bone-shattering with his scythe's shaft.

Orihime's eye widened. She turned to Raven and said, "Shouldn't we help him?"

Raven grinned. "Nah. He'll be fine. After all…" She looked over at her big brother with a proud smile. "He's not the second strongest Grim Reaper by chance."

"Second strongest?" Orihime asked in amazement. Raven nodded.

"The only person that I can think who's stronger than David would be the Grand General. And it's rumored that the Grand General is so powerful, just his footsteps can be enough to cause earthquakes."

David pulled away from Wrath, spinning his scythe expertly. "I'm giving you a chance. I'll start with this." He stopped spinning his scythe and held it over his head. Suddenly, the wind began to pick up, ruffling David's cloak. "Rip through the air…" The wind suddenly grew much stronger. "Ventus!" A tornado enveloped him.

Wrath shielded his eyes from the hurricane-force winds. Soon, the wind died down enough for him to lower his arms. His eyes narrowed at what he saw.

David Marshall now stood with dual-edged long sword rather than a scythe. The hilt was elegantly designed and was colored sky blue. The blade was surrounded by a miniature typhoon.

"Now then," David said as he held up his blade. "Let's begin."

-o-

**Translation for the curious:**

**Ventus: Latin for "wind"**


	7. Two Days 'til Doomsday

Ichigo stretched when he finally finished the homework that had been dumped on him. Sitting down for as long as he had made him feel sore. He was glad that he was finally done, and could at last get a little sleep. He looked over at his bed. Kon was fast asleep on his pillow, snoring a bit loudly. As he stood up to get Kon off his bed, he felt it.

"What the hell?" he said as the huge spiritual pressure suddenly hit him. He didn't know who owned that pressure, but he knew something had to be out of place.

Kon woke up, feeling panicked all of a sudden. "What the hell is going on!?" he shouted. "What's with this weird spirit energy!?"

"I don't know," Ichigo admitted. He grabbed Kon, forced out the Gikongan pill inside the plush lion and swallowed the pill. As Ichigo's soul was forced from his body, he told Kon, "Stay here! And don't do anything stupid, all right?" With that, he disappeared in a Flash Step.

-o-

David panted heavily as he faced Wrath. The Sin was in more or less the same state. They were both covered in cuts and scrapes, their clothes tattered in places. The Grim Reaper held his sword with what strength he had left in him. Wrath the Furious was apparently much more powerful than he originally thought.

"You know," David said with a smirk. "You're a lot tougher than you look. And that's saying something."

Wrath chuckled. "I could say the same about you, kid." He looked down at their spectators. That red-haired pet of Athena's was kneeling over Lucifer's brat, and that other Grim Reaper had her scythe out at the ready. "But I really do need to get going soon. And my boss wouldn't appreciate it if I came back empty-handed, so I'm gonna have to take that girl down to hell now."

"Over my dead body!" shouted the voice of a familiar orange-haired figure. Wrath turned in surprise, and was barely able to block Ichigo's attack. He was just lucky that being a Sin came with a tough hide. The Substitute Soul Reaper leaped over the Sin, landing in the air next to David. "You look like you've been through hell."

"Almost literally," David replied with a humored chuckle. He then became completely serious. "This guy's pretty strong though. You don't want to underestimate him."

Ichigo smirked. "No need to worry. I always go all out."

Wrath sneered angrily. He didn't have time for more brats. He needed to get the girl and get back, and fast. "Guess I've got no choice," he said with anger evident on his face. "I can't hold back anymore!" He then began to glow a malevolent red, his spiritual pressure slowly rising higher and higher. Until…

"Stop this nonsense," said a powerful voice. Wrath stopped glowing, and his spirit energy returned to its original proportion. All heads turned to see a tall man standing in the air far above the two Reapers and the Sin. He wore a black outfit that looked like a military leader's uniform, medals and badges included. He had black hair in a military-style buzz cut and dark eyes. He looked over at Wrath. "You have taken too long. Lord Lucifer is most displeased."

Wrath scowled, but didn't reply. Ichigo stared at the man who seemed to emit an air of superiority and self-satisfaction. "I take you're another of the Seven Deadly Sins?"

The man nodded affirmatively. "I am the most powerful of the Sins. I am called Pride the Arrogant. For now, you will refer to me as your better, boy." He suddenly vanished in a flicker of movement. The two Reapers looked around with wide eyes when he vanished.

They heard Orihime cry out in pain. They looked in her direction. Ichigo's eyes widened in outrage when he saw that Pride was holding his girlfriend by her throat. David had a look of equal anger when he saw that Raven was lying unconscious on the ground. "Let her go!" the Substitute Reaper shouted at the Sin.

"With pleasure," Pride said. He tossed Orihime away. She slammed into a wall so hard that she actually broke through it.

"Orihime!" Ichigo shouted

"She is still alive, human," the strongest Sin said dispassionately. "I only came for Arisawa." He took hold of the unconscious Tatsuki by the back of her shirt and slung her over his shoulder. "We are done here, Wrath. Let us return."

"Yeah, yeah," Wrath replied. He was then surrounded by a tornado of fire which quickly vanished.

"You're not getting away!" Ichigo shouted as he charged at Pride. The Sin was too quickly enveloped in fire, the hellish flames blocking Ichigo's zanpakuto.

"If you wish to get the girl back," Pride said as he and Tatsuki slowly disappeared, "Then you will come down to hell, Titan-slayer." Ichigo's eyes widened at those last words. "I will not be your opponent. But you will face someone who is in every way superior to you. Farewell, Ichigo Kurosaki, vanquisher of Titan Lord Kronos." And then, he was gone. And so was Tatsuki.

Ichigo stood completely shocked. How did Pride know about that war at Olympus? Were there spies there? Had they been watching him and his friends this whole time? No… he couldn't worry about that now.

"Orihime!" he called into the building that his girlfriend had been thrown into, which happened to be her own home. He found her lying unconscious in her living room. She stirred slightly. He knelt over her, his face contorted to worry. "Orihime, wake up!"

"Ichigo…" she said weakly. She looked at him with relief in her eyes. "I'm so glad you're here. Is Tatsuki all right?" Ichigo's face fell. Orihime didn't understand at first. But she soon figured it out. "No…"

-o-

The master of Hell sat in his throne of human bone, flanked by his two top servants, awaiting the return of Wrath and Pride. He was patient enough to wait two days, but he wanted the extra assurance toward his victory. Soon, two pillars of fire appeared in his throne room, just twenty feet away from his seat. Wrath and Pride stood with Tatsuki Arisawa on the latter's shoulder.

"Welcome back," Lucifer said calmly. "I have been waiting for you two. And I see your mission was a success, if a little belated."

"Forgive us, my liege," Pride said as he bowed. "Wrath failed yet again to control his temper."

"What was that, buzz cut!?" Wrath shouted back at the other Sin.

"Silence!" said the woman who stood to Lucifer's left side. "Do you wish to be replaced yet again, Ares?"

Wrath sneered in distaste. "Don't remind me about that. I still owe that bastard Kenpachi an old-fashioned ass-whooping."

"You will have your opportunity soon enough, Wrath," Lucifer said as he stood from his throne. He walked down towards Pride, who set Tatsuki down on the floor. "When she awakens, she shall be our ultimate weapon. And soon, God Himself will fall."

-o-

**I'm afraid that I just might end up in hell for that last line. Oh well. That just means that I'll be able to personally kick Satan's ass :)**


	8. Irrelevant Hope

When David told Ichigo that an angel had said that Tatsuki was the Antichrist, he immediately tried to deny. He wanted to say that it was impossible, that Tatsuki's only special talent was seeing the spirits of the dead. But the scary thing was… it actually _made sense_. Why else would the sins have gone after her? Why else would they fight to get their hands on her? When the horrifying realization finally set in, he simply sat in his seat at the tea table in the Urahara Shop, looking terrified. The source of all evil had the one key – the one _person_ – that may have been able to stop him. For all they knew, Tatsuki was already corrupted and ready to kill all of them at a moment's notice.

"This is troubling," Kisuke said as he sipped a cup of tea. "Not only do we have the Seven Sins to face, along with Lucifer and who knows what else, but now we may have to fight Miss Arisawa as well."

"We won't have to," Orihime said as she trembled slightly at the very thought of facing her best friend like that. "I know Tatsuki. She's strong. She won't give in, no matter what Lucifer tries."

"We have to prepare for anything," David said with a remorseful expression. "The next time you see Tatsuki… it might not be Tatsuki anymore."

"No," Orihime refused to accept. "She's my best friend! She can't be evil!" The red-haired girl faced Ichigo. Her boyfriend held an unreadable expression in his eyes. "Ichigo, tell them! You've Tatsuki even longer than I have! Tell them that she'd never betray us!"

Ichigo gave his girlfriend a serious look. "As much as I don't like it, Orihime, I need to agree with David on this." At that moment, Orihime's face fell. "I'm sorry, Orihime, but we're dealing with ultimate evil here. Who knows what this guy is capable of?" He stopped for a minute, letting Orihime take in the horrible fact. "I trust Tatsuki as much as you do, but we have to be prepared."

Orihime turned away, suddenly finding the table to be very interesting. It quickly became clear to Ichigo that she was crying. He mentally cursed himself. He hated making her cry. It was a sign of her pain. A pain that he, unfortunately, knew only too well.

"If Tatsuki does end up like that," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder, "I promise, we'll get her back. It'll be okay. How many end-of-the-world situations have we been in before?"

Orihime rubbed her eyes in a vain attempt to stop her tears. She buried herself in Ichigo's chest. The orange-haired teen could do nothing but hold her and let her sorrow spill onto his shirt.

Kisuke watched the scene with an almost fatherly look. He then decided that now would be a good time to point something out. "I can build a Senkaimon that could take you to Hell."

The non-shopkeepers all stared at him in disbelief. "Y-you can do that?" Orihime asked hopefully.

Kisuke nodded. "It'll take a lot of work. Probably a full day if I work fast. This is a special case though. I've had rush jobs before, but the fate of the world demands instant gratification."

"Well get started," David said. "If you need any help, just ask. Two people get more done than just one person." Kisuke nodded appreciatively. The Grim Reaper then faced the two Japanese teens. "You two should go get some rest. God knows you've earned it, and you'll need it for what's coming."

Ichigo and Orihime nodded. The orange-haired boy helped his girlfriend to her feet, and the two of them left the shop. When they were gone, Kisuke stood. "Well," he said as he walked toward the part of the floor that led to his secret training ground, "I'd better get to work. You coming, Mr. Marshall?"

David stood and nodded. "Let's get this done. The sooner, the better."

-o-

Ichigo stood at the door to his home, clutching the doorknob and gritting his teeth behind his closed mouth. He took a deep breath as everything that had occurred today sank in. He opened the door and headed in. "I'm home," he announced. Almost immediately, his father appeared out of nowhere, his feet aiming for Ichigo's face. At least some things don't change.

Ichigo jumped and roundhouse kicked his father into the wall, then walked off to get something eat. When Isshin managed to pull his head out of the wall, he looked over at his son. He could already tell something was wrong. He followed his son into the kitchen.

"What's up, son?" the former captain asked. "Where's the witty remark about me being a terrible father for attacking you out of nowhere?"

Ichigo was silent for several moments. "I doubt you'd understand, Dad."

"Try me."

The orange-haired teen faced his father. "Tatsuki was kidnapped. And not by common thugs."

Isshin put on a look of surprise. "That's terrible. Arrancars?"

"Something worse," Ichigo replied. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Tell me anyway."

"Demons from Hell took her away." There was an awkward silence between father and son as Isshin took that in, eyes wide. Ichigo scoffed and turned away. "I'm going to bed. I need to get some sleep."

"Ichigo," Isshin said, getting his son's attention. "If you're going to find her, then don't worry. She'll be all right."

Ichigo opened his mouth, as if he were about to say something, but he stopped and nodded. "Right. Goodnight, Dad." He headed to the stairs and went up to his room.

Isshin smiled proudly. "He's going to be one hell of a man someday." He then looked over at his poster of his late wife. "Masaki… I have no doubt that you'd be proud of our son."

-o-

Orihime sat on the edge of her bed, her legs crossed, and her hands on her ankles. She couldn't even _think_ about going to sleep tonight. Her concern for her best friend prevented rest. Her mind played out all kinds of scenarios; none of them good. She sighed helplessly and lay back in her bed.

She stared at the ceiling for what might as well have been an eternity. What if Tatsuki really did become a monster? What if the only way to save the world was to… she didn't want to think about any possible answers to that question. If it came down to a "humanity or friendship" event, she had no idea which one she would choose. She turned over on her side, her gray eyes lost in thought.

"Tatsuki," she muttered. "Please. Be safe." Slowly, almost painfully, sleep found her. She didn't dream.


	9. What is Truth?

Tatsuki's dreams were… frightening, to say the least. She saw images of war, murder, theft, lying, cheating, and all sorts of other sinful things that she wished she didn't know about. People murdering each other over trivial matters; who gets the most money? Who gets the most land? Whose religion is right or wrong? Questions like this started all these horrible things. She couldn't help but grow to hate it. She hated war. She hated evil. She just… hated.

Most of all, however, she was disgusted. Humans are such fickle creatures, she discovered. They lie, cheat, steal, and murder each other for the stupidest reasons. She had originally believed that humans were naturally good inside, but now… now, she could see something else.

Humans are corrupt, greedy, self-centered beings. They only do what's best for them in the moment, without thought as to how it would affect others. They sin without a second thought. In other words…

"Humans are… evil?" she asked no one as she sat up in an amazingly comfortable bed. She heard a woman chuckling on the other side of the room.

"Glad to hear that you finally know the truth," the woman said, sitting on chair opposite the bed. She had dark red hair and lime green eyes that appeared to have vertically slit pupils. She wore fine dress of red silk, and wore an arrogant grin on her face. "Humans are such thoughtless creatures. They seek nothing more than power. It's really quite sad."

"Who are you?" Tatsuki asked cautiously.

"Who, me?" the woman said with mock surprise. "Why, my name is Lilith. I was told by Lord Lucifer to keep an eye on you."

"Lucifer?"

"Your father of course. The master of this realm called Hell. I have to apologize for how you were brought here. Wrath doesn't really know how to hold back." Lilith stood and approached Tatsuki with a smirk. She held out her hand to the dark-haired girl. "Come. Lord Lucifer wishes to speak with you in person." Reluctantly, Tatsuki took the woman's hand and rose from the bed. She saw that she was still dressed in her school uniform. Lilith pursed her lips at the outfit. "I don't think you should speak meet with your father in that. Come with me, and we'll get you something nice to wear."

Tatsuki nodded nervously and followed Lilith.

-o-

Tatsuki looked at herself in the full-body mirror. She could only recognize her head. Everything else was different. Lilith had given her a black, strapless dress that hugged her body snugly, but with fair comfort. It was simple in design, and practical enough for her to run in if necessary. She never really noticed before, but she did have a pretty good figure. Probably because she was an athlete for most of her life, always exercising and trying to stay in shape for the next competition.

"Well, don't you just look charming?" Lilith said with the same flair that a designer would. "Now that you're all prettied up, we can go see your father." Lilith then ushered Tatsuki to follow, and the two of them headed down a hallway that Lilith said would take them to Lucifer's throne room.

Tatsuki couldn't help but appreciate the medieval design of the building they were in, whatever it may be. It was clearly a Gothic design though, like most European castles that she had seen in books and on the Internet. The walls were lined with statues and painting depicting particularly grisly moments in human history. There were so many, in fact, that she didn't even bother counting them. She didn't even want to look at them, but it was always like watching a car crash or a train wreck; she couldn't turn away.

Eventually, they came across a huge pair of double doors. A single skull adorned both the doors, splitting down the middle with the space between them. Lilith simply pressed her hand on the left door, and both doors opened inward. She then stood off to the side and motioned for Tatsuki to enter alone. Nervously, the spiky-haired girl entered the room beyond the doors.

Directly ahead of her, a lone man sat on an obsidian throne with a large ball of blue flame hovering above him. She heard the doors slowly creak closed behind her. She looked back as the threshold sealed, then looked forward again. She began trembling noticeably.

"Come closer," the man on the throne said in a serene tone. She hesitantly complied and approached him, taking each step carefully. She stopped about ten feet from the throne and looked down, afraid to see the man's face. She heard him rise from his seat and walk closer to her. Her heart raced as panic began to run through her mind. She closed her eyes tightly, half expecting to suddenly be struck. She recoiled when she felt a hand on her cheek, but she slowly stopped shaking when she realized that the touch was… gentle. She slowly looked up, surprise evident on her features.

"You look so much like your mother," the man before her said. His hair was dark and neatly combed, and his eyes were blood red. He wore an outfit similar to something that a government official would wear. His face was perfect in appearance, without a single blemish or wrinkle. He even had a warm, fatherly smile.

"You're… Lucifer?" Tatsuki asked, completely caught off guard by his appearance. She had expected him to be a monstrous and utterly evil creature, with horns and everything.

"Yes," the man said with an affirmative nod. He gently pulled his hand away from her face. "I have waited a very long time to meet you, Tatsuki. My own daughter."

"So… it's true? You really are my father?"

"It is the complete truth," Lucifer stated. "I only wish that we could have met sooner. I am greatly relieved to see that growing up in human society has not made you as terrible as the humans themselves."

"Wait," Tatsuki stopped him. "Are you the one who showed me those things while I was asleep?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "I showed you those images to show you how horrible humans truly are. I am sorry if they scared you, Tatsuki." There was a momentary silence between them.

"I… I thought you would be…" She trailed off, no longer as certain in her beliefs as she always had been.

"I know. But you must realize that we are family. I am your father, and I intend to act as such. But I can only do that if you allow me to."

"What?"

"It is your destiny to decide the fate of humanity," he explained. "Side with me in the coming war, my daughter. I am unable to leave this realm, but you can shatter the bonds that tether me to this place. Join me, and we will remake the world into something truly amazing."

She stared at him, unable to think properly. Millions of questions flooded her mind all at once. Why was he being to kind to her? Was he really just a misunderstood creature? Could he really be the ultimate evil she had always heard of and sometimes read about? If he was, then shouldn't he be treated her like garbage?

_Maybe he really is just misunderstood,_ Tatsuki soon thought to herself. She looked at him with awe. A man with a face like his couldn't possibly be evil. Just because he lived somewhere frightening didn't make him a bad person, she reasoned. Even still, she felt uneasy. He still seemed to let off an air of intimidating force. "I… I don't know if I should."

The ruler of Hell nodded. "I understand. I shall give you until tomorrow to make your choice. Your eighteenth birthday is when it must begin. You may go. Lilith will guide you back to your room." Tatsuki nodded and turned to leave as the huge doors opened. Soon, she was out of Lucifer's sight.

"She must choose us," said a cold, rasp of a voice. Lucifer turned to see Tenebris Pavor standing by his throne, his hands behind his back. "Why do you not force her, my Lord?"

"It is simple, Pavor," Lucifer stated. "She must come to believe that we are the ones that she trusts. I can sense much turmoil in her heart. She is struggling against herself." He shook his head in disappointment. "It is truly pathetic."

-o-

Tatsuki sat on the edge of the bed in her room. She looked around the space. There were no windows. A part of her was grateful for that. Who knows what kind of things roam about in the Inferno? She lay back on the bed, her mind racing. Nothing about this place was what she expected. So far, at least. She couldn't help but feel bad for her… father. He was trapped down here, unable to break free and do whatever it is he feels he has to. She shook her head at that thought. No. He was evil, and deserved to be stuck down here. Wasn't he?

She groaned and grabbed a pillow, placing it over her head in an attempt to hide her confusion. Should she help him? Should she leave him? Everything she thought she knew was thrown into question. She had slowly started to accept that she may not have been human, but Satan being good? That was impossible! … Right?

"What's real anymore?" she asked to nobody in particular.

-o-

Kisuke sighed tiredly as he finally finished making the adjustments to the Senkaimon. All that remained was to wait for the portal to warm up some. After which, Ichigo and the others would be able to go and save Tatsuki within the next hour.

"Finally complete, I see," David said with his arms crossed as he stood behind Kisuke.

"Yeah," the shopkeeper replied. He took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm not sure if it'll work though. There're a million different things that could go wrong. Making a gate to Hell is risky to say the least."

"I don't doubt it." The Grim Reaper plopped down on a rock. He leaned back and observed the false sky of Kisuke's training grounds. "I've got a really bad feeling right now."

"Hmm?" Kisuke looked at the Reaper with a confused expression. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not quite sure," David admitted solemnly. "I just have the feeling that things are only going to get worse from here."


	10. The End Now

Tatsuki sat on a chair just outside Lucifer's throne room, her mind questioning every little thing. Her entire life had been a lie. She was raised by strangers. She grew up around people who were completely different species from her. She had grown up in a world that was killing itself, and she just now figured that out.

Today was the day, too. She was now eighteen years old. She would have to choose whether to oppose or aid her real father. But she still had no idea which road she would take. Would freeing him really bring about the end of the world? When she spoke to him yesterday, he had acted so kind and sincere. Was he really supposed to be the ultimate evil? She looked up at the ceiling as if the answer was up there. Of course, it wasn't.

The doors to the throne room slowly opened, making her jump slightly. She stood from her seat and entered the huge chamber. Lucifer stood with his two top followers – Lilith and Pavor – awaiting her arrival. He let a tiny smile appear on his face.

"Tell me, Tatsuki," he said warmly. "Have you made your decision yet?"

She stared at him silently, then hung her head. She raced through the possible consequences of her only two options. Help him, or fight him. Those were her only choices. She thought about it for almost three minutes before she looked back at the king of hell.

"Yes," she said. "I've made up my mind."

-o-

Ichigo and Orihime, along with Chad and Uryu, stood ready before the Senkaimon that Kisuke and David had prepped up for them. They only had so much time left to save Tatsuki. They would have to work fast.

"All right," Kisuke said as he got ready to open the portal. "Here goes nothing." He performed the needed steps, and soon, the gateway appeared, ready for the teens to enter. "Okay, all, get going now before-"

At that exact moment, an unbelievable spiritual pressure slammed down onto them all at once, feeling like somebody had just dropped a planet on each of them. "What the hell is that!?" Ichigo shouted as he barely managed to stay standing.

"Th-that energy…" Raven managed to stammer out. "I-it can't be… not yet!"

David cursed quite loudly. "It's them! They're here! They're starting the apocalypse here of all places!"

"So, T-Tatsuki chose…" Orihime muttered, her eyes wide with horror. "No, it can't be! We have to do something!"

"We will!" Ichigo exclaimed as he and the others made their way out of the training ground and out of the Urahara Shop.

-o-

In the Soul Society, Yamamoto's eyes went wide when he felt that spiritual pressure. It was coming out of the human world, he realized. If their enemy's power was truly that great…

"This does not bode well," he said. He immediately sent out word via the Hell Butterflies: all Soul Reapers were to head straight for human world at once. They needed to fight off this evil before the Devil could achieve his goals. He took his cane, immediately reverting it into his zanpakuto, and marched out of his office. _We now face a true war._

-o-

Byakuya was, needless to say, shocked when he received word that all Soul Reapers were to report to the human world in order to fight off Lucifer. But he could see the necessity. He felt the spirit energy, and knew what had to be done. He quickly Flash Stepped home, appearing at the front of the Kuchiki manor. He was just about to head in when he saw that the gates had been blasted apart. His eyes widened, then narrowed as he drew his sword and sprinted onward. He first needed to make sure that Aphrodite and their son were okay, then he would deal with the intruder.

But the intruder found him first.

"My, my, aren't you handsome?" said a woman's voice from behind him. He turned, ready to fight, but almost dropped his sword at the woman in front of him. Her beauty easily rivaled Aphrodite's, but her hair and eyes were dark, and she wore a dress of black silk. She had a sultry grin on her face.

"Who are you?" the captain demanded.

"You're impatient one," the woman said tauntingly. "My name is Lust the Lascivious. I have business with Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty. I have reason to believe that she's been living here for the past two years. Would that happen to be true?"

Byakuya didn't answer. He simply went into a battle stance. But before he could attack, a voice called, "Byakuya." The captain turned in surprise to see his second wife approaching, a dual-edged Greek sword in hand. "This is my business. Leave her to me."

"Aphrodite…" He was speechless. He had never seen her like this before. "But what about Kizoku?"

"He's fine," she assured him with a warm smile. "Rukia's watching him for me. Just leave this one to me, will you? It's not wise to deny a goddess, you know." Byakuya eventually nodded, albeit _very_ reluctantly. The goddess approached Lust, a serious look on her face.

"The years have not been kind to you, Aph," Lust teased. "A serious look like that will cause wrinkles. You of all people should know that."

"Silence," Aphrodite said with as much bite in her voice as she could possibly muster. "This is where you face your destruction, Sin."

"Tough words from you have no backbone behind them," Lust said, her sultry smile slowly becoming sadistic. "What are you going to do? Love me to death? Give me a makeover?"

"You'll see soon enough." The goddess held her sword with both hands, ready to fight. The two women glared at each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move. They soon charged each other at the same time.

-o-

Lucifer now stood in the sky, his eyes falling upon the city where Tatsuki had grown up. He sneered in disgust. No wonder she had been so indecisive at first. He could just tell that this entire city was filled with fickle-minded weaklings. He turned and faced his gathered army, all of whom were ready to destroy all in their path. Lust had already gone off to the Soul Society to settle a personal vendetta, but he didn't mind her absence. It wouldn't change a thing.

"Your orders are simple," he said darkly. "Destroy everything. Leave no survivors." The massive horde of demons roared their approval, and were just about to carry out their master's wishes when another army appeared.

"You will do no such thing," said Head Captain Yamamoto, every Soul Reaper, save for two, behind him and ready. "We Soul Reapers have no choice but to destroy you, unless you retreat back the pit from whence you came."

Lucifer glared the Reapers with narrowed eyes. "Then you shall be removed."

-o-

**Okay, yeah, short chapter. And the ending kind of sucked. Whatever. I promise that, from now on, the chapters will be pretty much all action. See you later.**


	11. The Jealous One

Aphrodite slashed horizontally at Lust, but the Sin quickly leaped back, a taunting grin on her face. The blond goddess swung her blade again, Lust ducking under the attack. Aphrodite slashed repeatedly, aiming to split Lust in half in any direction. Lust just kept an expression that told everyone who looked at her that she was simply toying with the goddess, that she wasn't taking the fight seriously.

"You've slowed tremendously, Aph," Lust said in a teasing tone. "You used to be so quick and nimble. Has married life left you feeling a little too relaxed?"

"A slut like you wouldn't have any idea what married life is like!" the goddess exclaimed as she attempted to cut Lust down through the middle. When the Sin dodged, she attempted a roundhouse into Lust's side, but she missed that attack as well.

Byakuya stood back as Aphrodite had asked of him. He watched the two women go at it, giving Lust hateful glances. She was toying with his wife, something that he didn't really support. He wanted to jump in, but if he did, Aphrodite would only be angry with him, and that was something he didn't ever want to see. He watched as the Goddess of Love and Beauty continued her struggle against Lust the Lascivious, the latter dodging all of the former's attacks with frightening ease. His eyes narrowed impatiently.

_You have to win, Aphrodite,_ he thought with the utmost faith in his wife.

-o-

In the skies above Karakura, Soi Fon hacked through a number of demons with incredible speed, not even bothering to pay attention to the countless monsters. She sliced a winged creature in half as she dashed through the hordes, the whole of the Stealth Force following and taking out any creatures that their leader may have missed. One of her subordinates appeared by her side, his short sword at the ready.

"Captain Soi Fon, there may be too many," he said as he stabbed a demon in its eye and tossed the creature's body away. "We already have over fifteen casualties in our squad alone."

"If you're suggesting a retreat, you can forget it," Soi Fon said with a shake of her head. "We're not retreating unless Head Captain Yamamoto orders it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," the man replied he went on ahead, but only got about ten feet forward before he was suddenly hacked and slashed into bits in almost an instant. Soi Fon's eyes went wide when she saw this, not believing it until she saw the culprit.

Before her was a man who looked to be about in his twenties. His hair was a dark green mess that reached down to his thighs. He wore nothing but a pair of black cargo shorts, revealing a lanky frame of a body. He looked at her dark eyes that seemed to seethe with anger and hate.

"Who are you?" Soi Fon demanded more than asked.

"Stupid humans," the man said with a twisted glare. "Your audacity is endless. If you must know who I am, then I guess it's only fair that you know the name of the man who's going to kill you. I am Envy the Jealous of the Seven Deadly Sins."

"'The Jealous'?" the Soul Reaper captain inquired with a raised eyebrow. "What makes you jealous?"

"I'm not jealous of anything!" Envy screamed indignantly. He quickly calmed down, and slowly began to grin. "But you are…"

"What?"

"Your jealousy is what drew me to confront you," Envy explained. "You're envious of someone. I don't know who, but you are. It's as obvious to me as the fact that you're going to die here."

"I don't think so!" Soi Fon growled out as she dashed at Envy, her zanpakuto ready cleave him in half. The Sin smirked cockily and vanished in a flicker of movement. He reappeared behind Soi Fon, a sword having suddenly appeared from in his hand. He swung down to cut her in half, but only managed to get her white captain's haori. She stood back a few feet in her shihakusho, her zanpakuto, ready.

"You're a speedy one," Envy commented with a somewhat angry tone. He seemed awfully miffed about missing. "Oh well. I'll still kill you in the end."

Soi Fon narrowed her eyes at the lanky man. She could sense that his spiritual pressure was far larger than the demons that she had been facing. She may not be able to hold back. She placed her hand on the blade of her zanpakuto and said, "Sting my enemy, Suzumebachi." Her blade glowed briefly, becoming a small stinger that encased her right middle finger. "Now we can really start."

Envy grinned evilly. "Yeah. I always wanted to fight a Soul Reaper. Now let's just see if you can really match up to the Grim Reapers of North America."

Soi Fon responded to that by charging at the Sin, her small weapon trained for his heart. She rapidly landed two blows before he could react. Envy's entire body convulsed as he fell from the sky crashing into the roof of a building. The Soul Reaper captain smirked. "And that's that." She turned and was just about to continue on to her next opponent when she heard dark chuckling that slowly escalated into full-blown mad laughter. She looked to where Envy had landed, her eyes wide in shock.

"Was that supposed to kill me?" the green-haired man asked with a twisted grin on his face. "You should know that as long as you feel jealousy towards others, you'll never be able to defeat me."

_The Sins can't be killed?_ she thought with some level of horror. She knew that the Soul Reapers were going to face some tough opponents, but she never in a million years would've expected immortal enemies. If that was true, then they may be fighting a battle that they can never win. She shook her head. "Just because you say that you can't be killed doesn't make it true. You must have pulled some kind of trick."

"A trick?" Envy said with a laugh. "If you say so, Soul Reaper. If you want to kill me, then give it your best shot." They eyed each other warily – though Envy still wore a sadistic grin on his face – each waiting for the other to make the first move. They soon charged each other, both ready to kill.


	12. True Elegance

**Hey, everyone. (laughs nervously) Sorry about the wait, but I lost my flash drive, which I keep all my stories on, and I only just found it today. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter. I don't know if it's my best work, but I honestly tried.**

-o-

The battle between the Goddess of Love and Beauty and Lust the Lascivious raged on, the goddess not letting up at all, and the Sin's nails extended into long, narrow claws that could slice through stone.

Lust slashed with her claws at the goddess, who jumped to the side and countered with her own slash, narrowly missing the Sin's neck. Lust didn't seem at all fazed by this. In fact, she still wore an amused grin on her visage. It was as though she wasn't taking anything seriously. She was practically treating this as a game. This only served to make Aphrodite even angrier at the female Sin.

Lust charged in with a sweep kick, and the goddess leaped to avoid the attack. Lust smirked, having planned for that, and swung another kick. Aphrodite didn't have time to dodge, and was struck in the stomach by the blow. The attack sent her flying backwards into a nearby wall, which her body drilled clean through. She slid painfully against the grounds outside of the Kuchiki Clan's compound.

"Ow…" she groaned as she lay sprawled out on the ground. "That stung a bit." She sat up with her hand in her now-messy blond hair. This soured her mood even further. It'll take her forever to comb her hair straight again, and resetting her three braided ponytails will take even longer. That is, if she makes it through this battle against Lust in one piece.

"You're certainly stubborn, Aph," Lust said as she stepped through the large hole in the wall, an evil grin on her face. "Just like old times, isn't it? You never did know when to back off."

Aphrodite glared at Lust as she stood up again. "Maybe. But what does that matter when time prefers my looks over yours?" Lust's eyes narrowed at the goddess's words. "You're nothing but a pompous little wannabe. You can't stand the fact that someone's prettier than you, can you?"

"Tsk. I don't know whether you're lucky or cursed to be immortal. Just for that, I'll make sure your suffering lasts as long as I do!" She charged at the goddess, eyes apparently changing so that her pupils were slit like a snake's. She swung her claw-like nails madly, a blood-thirsty glint in her eyes. Aphrodite ducked and weaved by every strike, if narrowly.

Byakuya headed for the huge hole in the wall where his wife and the Sin went through. He had to at least be there for Aphrodite, even if she didn't want him jumping in and interfering. He climbed through the hole and continued to observe the battle. He couldn't help but notice that Lust's fighting style to be slowly… devolving. Her attacks before were coordinated and planned out. But now… she seemed to be fighting without much thought at all, as though her mind was slowly becoming more and more feral.

"Such a peculiar woman, is she not?" asked a man's voice from out of nowhere. Byakuya turned to his right, his hand instinctively at the hilt of his zanpakuto. Before him stood a middle-aged man in a militaristic uniform. He had a calm, passive look on his face, as though nothing could bother him. "Lust hates to admit it, but when in combat, she begins to slowly degrade into little more than a beast in the form of a woman."

Byakuya narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the man. "Who are you?"

Without sparing the Soul Reaper so much as a glance, the man answered, "I am Pride the Arrogant of the Seven Deadly Sins."

"You are with that woman?"

"Unfortunately. Such bestial actions as hers are beneath me. I only came so that she would not lose her mind here."

"What do you mean?"

Pride didn't reply. Instead, his attention remained on the two women fighting before them. Byakuya faced them as well. He would have to wait and see what happened.

Aphrodite back-flipped over Lust's lunge, landing several feet away and never letting her eyes leave the Sin's position. The dark-haired woman's movements had slowly become more reminiscent of a wild animal striking ferociously at its intended prey. This happened the first time they fought thousands of years ago, when they had both first come into existence at the same time. She had to finish this quickly, before things got out of hand.

"I'll end you, Aphrodite!" Lust screamed in a tone that was clearly craving divine blood. "I'll skin you alive!" Lust's claw-like nails began to curve, and her canines lengthened into fangs. Her dark eyes became blood-red with slit pupils.

_Too late to stop that,_ Aphrodite thought with a frustrated grunt. She had only seen this once before, during their first battle. She could never forget it.

Lust's back suddenly exploded with blood, large, skeletal wings forming and growing flesh so that they resembled the wings of a large bat, giving her a ten-foot wingspan. Her eyes glowed not just with blood-thirst, but with bloodlust. "I can't wait to tear you apart limb from limb!"

Aphrodite braced herself for an attack, but was suddenly caught by a hand right on her face. Lust's wings flapped forcefully, creating gales as the Sin flew forward, pushing the goddess along before shoving her into the ground. The ground erupted into a shower of rock and dirt as they soared by at near supersonic speeds. Soon, the Sin stopped, raised both her hands, and then slammed her fists down into Aphrodite's stomach. The attack forced the goddess to cough out blood, quite feat when one considers the fact that she was an immortal with far greater endurance than any human.

The goddess's blood splatted across the Sin's face. She didn't seem offended by this at all. In fact, her expression was that of sheer bliss. "Yesssss…" she hissed giddily. "I want your blood all over me!" At that, she began to ruthlessly maul Aphrodite's form, letting the blood splatter all over her body. She _relished _in it.

"No!" Byakuya shouted as he saw this. He drew his sword and about to charge in when, out of nowhere, there was a massive explosion of divine golden light. He shielded his eyes from the blast as gale-force winds forced him back several feet. Soon, the light faded. Lust had been blown back several yards, but was otherwise unharmed. As for Aphrodite…

The Goddess of Love and Beauty literally glowed with an unearthly radiance. Her hair had become a sparkling ethereal mass, and her eyes were practically crystals that shone brilliantly. Her dress flowed in the wind with an air of mysterious elegance. "Lust the Lascivious," she said in a voice that was more beautiful than the greatest songbird. "You claim to be a creature of beauty. But all I see before me is a beast of hideous disgust. Lust truly is an ugly thing."

"Y-you don't know what you're talking about!" Lust retorted angrily. "I am elegance personified! I am the very definition of what it is to be beautiful!"

"You are a revolting demon that deserves to be erased," Aphrodite said with a menacing tone that Byakuya had never heard from her before. The light of her true godly form brightened further, and a sword of golden energy formed in her hand. "Prepare yourself, Sin. This is your last day." And with that, it was over in an instant. The golden sword was plunged into Lust's chest, right through her heart.


	13. Envy's Power

**Sorry for the wait, everyone, but I'm back with a vengeance! ... Okay, not with a vengeance, but still. Anyway, enjoy.**

-o-

Soi Fon dashed and leaped as Envy's attack crashed into buildings and streets. The humans ran for their lives as the battle between Soul Reapers and demons raged on, explosions flooding the air. The 2nd Squad captain needed to get to a location where no humans would be injured by their battle.

As she sprinted, her eyes went wide at the sight of a little girl… with a massive chuck of debris falling towards her. She immediately dashed towards the girl, grabbed her, and leaped away from the huge boulder's impact zone. She brought the girl to a nearby alley and dropped her off there. Soi Fon turned around to make sure that that Envy character wasn't close by. As she checked the area, she couldn't help but feel that something was watching her. She could feel a pair of eyes digging into her. She turned and faced the girl… who was staring at her in awe.

At first, Soi Fon assumed that she was whole, and this was her first time meeting a Soul Reaper. Then she saw that the girl had no Chain of Fate, meaning she was still among the living. And from what Soi Fon could sense, the girl didn't have enough spiritual power to be able to see spirits and Soul Reapers and the like. "Can you see me?" she asked.

The girl nodded, confirming the Soul Reaper's suspicions. But how the hell was that possible?

"Confused?" said the voice of Envy. Soi Fon's attention immediately fell on the Sin, who was currently standing upside-down in midair. He chuckled at the female Reaper's reaction. "Would you like an explanation?"

"I demand one," Soi Fon stated. She quickly sent a glance to the little girl, who immediately realized that it was time to go and ran away to find her family.

Envy smirked as he slowly descended to the ground. "It's quite simple really. Lord Lucifer's spiritual pressure is so huge and powerful that all humans within a one thousand mile radius are granted the ability to see spirits, Reapers, Hollows, etc. Wish I was that strong."

Soi Fon just stared in disbelief, quickly glancing up to where she believed the lord of hell to be. Was he truly so powerful? How much worse could things possibly get?

"Well, I think I've toyed with you for long enough," the Sin said as he cracked his neck, reacquiring Soi Fon's attention. "I'll end this quickly now." With that, his spiritual pressure began to rise significantly as a dark aura exploded around him. Soi Fon jumped back out of the alley and leaped up into the sky, gaining friction in the air under her feet. Envy's form grew larger and larger, smashing through the two buildings that made the alley.

When the aura finally faded, Soi Fon's eyes went wide in shock at what she saw. Envy had transformed himself into a massive gorilla-like monstrosity as tall as a skyscraper, with a face that was beyond hideous. His eyes burned with crimson malice.

"This form is going to be the last thing you see before I devour you, Soul Reaper," the great beast said in a far deeper tone than the original Envy's voice. "You'll become nothing more than another voice in the swarm."

_Swarm?_ Soi Fon asked herself. Before she could even think to react, Envy's enormous palm slammed into her. Her eyes widened in shock and pain as she was sent hurtling through five buildings, leaving a massive crater in the street where she crashed. The massive footsteps of Envy's demonic form boomed as he approached Soi Fon, a malicious grin on his face.

He glared down at her pained form as she slowly got back to her feet. She looked back up at him, shock still evident on her face. Envy scowled at this. "Stop looking at me!" he screamed as his fist came crashing down into the ground. Soi Fon barely evaded the attack. She easily realized that she had no choice but to run. Envy just laughed as the Soul Reaper captain fled. "Run as much as you like, Soul Reaper! You'll never escape!"

Soi Fon looked back as she sprinted up into the air. Envy was still eagerly chasing after her. Even in his new, gigantic, hideous form, he only barely slowed down. Not only that, but that last attack had rendered her left arm a shattered wreck. She was lucky that she had gone through training to ignore pain, otherwise, she'd be on her knees screaming like a pathetic mess.

As she ran, she quickly turned to face Envy once again… just in time to see his fist nearly breaking the sound barrier as it drew closer to her small body. She Flash Stepped just in time to evade the attack, if only barely, letting crash into the ground, creating a crater the size of the Kuchiki compound. She faced Envy again and took her stance. "I really didn't want to have to use this," she said as she shakily and painfully placed her left hand upon her shikai. "I hate using this."

"Come on, Soul Reaper!" Envy screamed at her, a sadistic grin plastered on his face. "Show me what you've really got! I'll tear you to pieces absorb all that remains of you!"

Soi Fon's eyes narrowed at the Sin. She began to charge up her spiritual pressure before she knew it was ready. "Bankai!" She was then enveloped in an explosion of golden energy, which then collapsed down onto her right arm, forming a huge golden missile-like armament. "Jakuho Raikoben." She hefted the thing up, aiming it at the Sin, who stared at her with some level of surprise. "This is the end!" With that, she launched the missile.

Envy simply stood there as the projectile rocketed toward him. "Now that's interesting," he said as the missile crashed into his chest, exploding with ridiculous force.

Soi Fon's eyes narrowed as she panted slightly. She winced when her left arm twitched in pain. With any luck, that last attack finished Envy off for good. She slowly descended to the roof of a building, staring at the massive pillar of smoke that surrounded Envy's form.

"That stung," Envy's voice stated nonchalantly as the cloud faded away, allowing Soi Fon to see a horrifying sight that made her eyes widen in shock.

"What the hell is that!?" Soi Fon shouted demanding an explanation. Envy's chest had been blown open, revealing his heart… which was surrounded by countless souls screaming in agony.

Envy laughed. "That's my heart. Those souls that you see lived their entire wretched lives in a jealous fury. Now, they're what fuel me."

"Fuel you?"

"That's right. We Sins run on the emotion we represent. As long humans feel envy, I can keep fighting for an eternity! And soon enough, you'll be a part of this little horde in my chest! And speaking of hordes…" Suddenly, his body split apart, scattering into dozens of bodies that all looked exactly like Envy's base form.

"W-what is this!?"

"This is my unique power as the Sin of Jealousy," Envy explained. "I can create copies of myself, each just as powerful as my basic form. I hope you're ready, Soul Reaper! Because this is where you die!" At that, all of the Envies charged at once. Soi Fon barely had time to react, quickly entering a defensive stance and fighting back as much as her injuries would allow.

The captain slammed a kick into the chest of one clone, forcing it back several feet, then delivered a punch to the face of a second Envy double. She kicked, punched, dodged at every possible opportunity… when suddenly, one of Envy's clones took hold of her shattered left arm. The pain sent a massive shock throughout her system, momentarily stunning her. That moment was all Envy and his small army needed, as they rapidly began to pile on top of her. The last thing she could see before darkness swallowed her sight was the arrogant smirk of the original Envy as he approached the dog pile.

"Don't worry, Soul Reaper," he said with a friendly wave. "Look on the bright side. At least you'll have company where you're going."

Then darkness.


	14. Acceptance

Darkness. All she could see was an empty blackness around her. She was tired. Exhausted. She wanted to sleep, but part of her practically screamed not to. Soi Fon turned her head, trying to find anything at all. Still, nothing but blackness. Was this what a Soul Reaper saw when they died? Was she even really dead at all? Envy had said that she would become a part of a mass of souls that was the source of his power.

"So tired…" she muttered to herself. She slowly closed her eyes, ready to face her fate. She was going to fade into little more than a battery for her enemy. That was worse than shameful. _Forgive me… Head Captain… forgive me… Lady Yoruichi…_

She went silent for a few moments.

…

Suddenly her eyes snapped open. A thought had just come to her mind.

-o-

Envy lounged nonchalantly against a wall on a rooftop, taking a well-deserved break from fighting. Soon enough, he got back up to his feet and dusted himself off. "Well, time to get back to work," he said with a smirk. However, just as he was about dash off to join his fellow demons, a sudden pain struck the inside of his chest. "W-what the?" He grasped his chest in pain. What was happening to him?

To answer his question, a hand exploded out of his chest. He screamed in agony as a human shape pull itself out of him. It was launched several feet away. Soi Fon had finally broken free, covered in Envy's blood. The Sin of Jealously stared in shock and disbelief at the Soul Reaper as his chest's wound rapidly closed.

"What!?" he shouted, unwilling to believe what he was seeing. "How the hell did you get out of my body!?"

Soi Fon panted for a minute, trying to catch her breath. "It wasn't easy," she explained. "I had to do a little soul-searching, so to speak. You said you came to face me because I held jealousy in my heart. You were right." She stood up then, removing her white captain's haori, revealing her Stealth Force uniform underneath. "I am jealous of someone. Two people in fact. I envy Lady Yoruichi, for her strength, her wisdom, her beauty… she's everything I could only wish to be. But… even more than her… I envy Kisuke Urahara. When he was banished from the Soul Society… she went with him, abandoning me in the process." She sunk into a fighting stance then. "Envy the Jealous… do you know the difference between you and me?"

"W-what?" the Sin asked reluctantly.

"I've accepted my jealousy." She then sprinted at shocking speeds towards Envy, who was caught completely off guard by Soi Fon's escape. She slammed a powerful kick into his stomach, making him cough up blood and sending him flying through three buildings before managing to stop himself in midair.

_Th-this can't be happening!_ Envy thought in horror. _She's supposed to be a mindless specter giving me power with her own jealousy! This is impossible!_ Soi Fon appeared before him in a Flash Step, standing in the air, a determined look on her face. Envy's expression soon turned from chock to outrage. "How dare you!?" he shouted. "How dare you defy me!? I'm a god compared to you! You can never defeat me!"

"Care to put that to the test?" Soi Fon replied with a taunting smirk.

That did it. "I'LL END YOU!" the Sin screamed in complete rage. He was soon surrounded by that dark aura again, which soon faded away to reveal his enormous true form. "THIS WILL BE THE LAST THING YOU SEE BEFORE I KILL YOU!"

Soi Fon shook her head in disapproval. "You think size alone would give you an advantage in combat?" She held out her right arm. "You're an amateur." She was soon enveloped in a light green, wind-like aura. "Shunko!" The energy of the Kido/Hakuda hybrid manifested upon her back, turning her into a living typhoon. Then…

"Bankai!" Her arm was swallowed by golden energy as her bankai manifested. She aimed the huge missile at the Sin, who roared and began charging towards her. "I've never used Shunko and Bankai simultaneously before. Let's see what happens." Her weapon then began to glow. "Jakuho Raikoben!" The projectile launched forth, its power magnified by Soi Fon's Shunko.

Envy didn't even think to dodge as the missile approached him. He didn't think it would affect him.

He was wrong. The missile struck his chest full force. The pain he felt from that was beyond intense. What happened after made it feel like a bee sting by comparison. The explosion was three times as large as normal, forcing Soi Fon to leap back several hundred yards. Envy shrieked in pain as the blast devoured him, shattering his demonic form. He tried desperately to shield himself, but in vain.

"NO!" he roared. "THIS… CAN'T… HAPPEN! I CAN'T DIE!" As soon as he said that, his body was utterly disintegrated.

As the explosion cleared away, showing that Envy had been annihilated, Soi Fon sighed in relief. However, she quickly regained her composure and returned to the battlefield. She would have nothing to say regarding Envy's destruction.

-o-

Greed leaned back as he watched the battle between demons and Soul Reapers take place. Things seemed to be going pretty damn well. Suddenly, he felt Envy's presence vanish. He chuckled to himself darkly. "Cocky brat probably got himself killed," he said to nobody in particular. "Can't say that surprises me." He then stood and stretched until he felt a few bones pop. "Guess it's about time for me to jump in."

"I could say the same," said a relaxed voice from behind. Greed spun around to see a man in a dark green kimono with a darker green haori and a green-and-white striped fedora. "I thought I felt a strong spiritual pressure around here. I guess you're the guy I'm looking for."

Greed stared at the man, a smirk coming to his face. "Well, how about that," he said. "Someone with the balls to face me. That's a rare little treat for me."

Kisuke Urahara grinned. "Then shall we go at it? I'm actually looking forward to a good tussle."

Greed laughed. "Oh, I like you. I think I'll keep your head as a trophy. And that hat would go nicely one of the other outfits I have back home."

Kisuke drew his zanpakuto from his cane and released his Shikai. "Then let's begin."

-o-

**Kind of short, I know, but hey, I'm not exactly known for the length of my chapters. Quality over quantity I say.**


	15. The Sin of Want

Ichigo swung his massive blade, cleaving a trio of demons in one slash. As soon as they died, however, a dozen more took their place. Ichigo scowled in frustration at this. No matter how many he cut down, more just kept coming. And to make things worse, Urahara had disappeared on him and his friends.

"Ichigo!" called Orihime's voice. Ichigo turned to see his girlfriend struggling to keep her Santenkesshun up against a huge demon. Several small children were cowering behind her.

"Dammit!" he cursed as he sprinted up and beheaded the monster with one mighty slash. He immediately turned to Orihime. "Get those kids somewhere safe!" She nodded and instructed the young ones to follow her.

The Substitute Soul Reaper turned again at the sound of demonic cries and saw another horde of monstrous creatures. He cursed again. Things weren't looking up.

-o-

Greed's fist slammed into a wall, breaking the stone with a frightening ease. That punch had been intended for Urahara, who had dodged at the last second. The Avaricious yanked his arm out of the wall and turned to face Kisuke again, who didn't look at all scared. "You're a speedy little bastard, aren't you?" Greed asked with a smirk.

"Was that a compliment?" Kisuke inquired with a lackadaisical grin. "Why, thank you, sir. I think you just made my whole day!"

Greed's eye twitched in slight annoyance. "Cheeky, too. I think I'm going to enjoy killing you." He dropped back into his fighting stance. "Get ready!" He charged forward with incredible speed, his fist cocked for another attack. He threw countless punches at the former Soul Reaper, who casually evaded each of them. Kisuke had a grin on his face the whole time.

"Come on!" the shop owner taunted. "I know old ladies who fight better than you do!" Greed growled in clear frustration, but was still grinning, which Kisuke easily found rather odd. _Why is he so happy? What's making him so glad?_

Soon, one of Greed's punches made contact, slamming right into… Urahara's crotch. Both combatants stopped. Silence pervaded the immediate area. Greed suddenly shrieked in pain, grasping his partially broken hand with his good one. Who looked over at the unharmed Urahara, who gave Greed a look of confusion. "WHAT THE HELL KIND OF UNDERWEAR ARE YOU WEARING THAT CAN BREAK A MAN'S FINGERS!?"

"What are you talking about?" the ex-captain asked, his eyebrows raised with clear lack of understanding.

Greed stared at the man, completely dumbfounded. As his hand began to heal itself, he slowly went back to his grin and chuckled a little. "Well, you just got a bit more interesting," he stated as he regained his previous composure. "How about this?" Suddenly, Greed vanished, causing Kisuke's eyes to widen in shock at the Sin's speed. "Over here."

Kisuke turned to swing his blade behind him, but Greed's fist instantly connected with his face, sending him flying several yards away and crashing into a building. He groaned in pain as he sat up, his hand on his head. He picked up his hat off the ground and replaced it on his head. "Well," he said. "This might just be a little more difficult than I thought."

To prove his point, Greed appeared in front of him with little more than a flicker. The Sin threw another powerful fist at him, but he quickly Flash Stepped out of the way. Greed's fist utterly annihilated the entire floor of the building that he was in. Kisuke whistled as he stood in the air not too far from where he was earlier, impressed by the Sin's strength.

"You know, if I hadn't dodged, that probably would've been the end of me. I'm legitimately in awe right now."

"Thank you," Greed said appreciatively. "But you know, I think I've just noticed something." Kisuke raised an eyebrow. "You're holding back." The shopkeeper's eyes widened slightly, barely noticeable, but Greed still saw it. "I want to see what you're really capable of, Soul Reaper! I can feel it! I know you have more power! Show me all of it!" Greed then charged forth again, grinning madly as he approached his enemy at unnatural speeds.

Kisuke barely evaded Greed's attack, but was unable to counter as the Sin immediately appeared right behind him. The Avaricious slammed a bone-shattering kick into Urahara's back, making the blond man cough up blood and sending him flying until Greed flickered ahead of him again and swung both fist down, nearly crushing Kisuke's skull and forcing him toward the ground, where he left a good-sized crater in the concrete.

Greed laughed sadistically as he descended toward the crater. "Now this is just sad! Come on, Soul Reaper! Show me what you can really do!" Kisuke, now covered in his own blood, stood shakily and eyed Greed seriously, to which Greed laughed. "What's wrong? Are you afraid of your own power? Tch. You wouldn't believe how many saps I've killed who were too scared of their own strength." There was silence. "Tell you what. How about I show you _my_ true power? Then you'll have no choice."

Kisuke's eyes widened at a sudden mass increase in spiritual energy in the air. He saw tiny lights form in the air, all of them converging towards… Greed. The Sin was _absorbing_ the spiritual energy in the air and merging it with his own. The Sin's body suddenly bulked up considerably as he laughed insanely.

"YES!" Greed shouted as he grew. "MORE! MORE! MORE!" Very soon, the Sin was easily twenty feet tall, with huge spines piercing out of his back, and blade-like forms growing from his elbows. His teeth became an array of razor blades, and his eyes glowed an evil red. "YES! THIS IS IT! THIS IS POWER! MORE!"

Kisuke narrowed his eyes at the demonic man before him. "So," he said, "this is the true form of Greed, is it? I've gotta say, I'm not too impress-" Immediately before he could finish his sentence, a massive fist slammed into his gut, sending him soaring through six buildings before he could even try to regain his footing. As soon as he did, however, Greed appeared right in front of him. The Sin grabbed him and held him in a crushing bear hug before he flipped upside down and darted for the ground, too fast for Kisuke to react.

As soon as they collided with the ground, an enormous pillar of debris clouded the air. As it cleared out, Greed stood up again, grinning like a madman. He chuckled darkly, and soon went into full-blown mad laughter. "Oh, yeah, that's the stuff! That's the adrenaline rush that I wanted! Come on! You aren't dead yet, are you?" He picked the barely conscious Kisuke Urahara up off the ground, holding him by his left arm. The former Soul Reaper was still holding onto his zanpakuto. Greed grinned at this. "That's what I thought."

Kisuke responded with nothing more than a pained groan. He could barely move. He could barely feel his body. This was easily the worst moment of his life. He moved his head just enough to look into Greed's eyes. It was obvious that this guy was powerful. Maybe too powerful. What could he do to beat him? Nothing came to mind.

_"Use me, Kisuke,"_ said a woman's voice. That voice surprised him. He hadn't spoken to the owner of that voice in a long time.

_Benihime,_ he thought, speaking to the spirit of his zanpakuto.

_"Use my power, Kisuke,"_ she replied. _"Do it now, or we will both die here. You have to use our full power!"_

"I'd hoped you'd be a decent opponent," Greed stated. "Oh, well. There's more fish in the sea I guess. I'll a worthy rival someday I suppose." Right before he could deal a finishing blow, however, Kisuke muttered something under his breath. "What was that?"

"I said…" the shopkeeper muttered again. "Ban… kai…"

-o-

**BAM! Cliffhanger!**


	16. The Red Princess and Her Knight

An explosion of red enveloped Kisuke, forcing Greed back several feet. The Sin of Avarice stared with wide eyes at the great crimson pillar before him. He could just barely make out the form of Kisuke Urahara, whose entire right arm seemed to become covered in some kind of bulky armament. Slowly, the energy surrounding Kisuke faded, and Greed's eyes went even wider at what he saw.

Kisuke's sword had been replaced by a gauntlet that covered his entire right arm. Instead of a hand at the end, however, there was wickedly long and jagged blade. The entire thing was red as blood. "This is my bankai, Sin," Kisuke said with an uncharacteristically dark tone and expression. "Remember its name, because it'll be the last one you ever hear." He pointed the jagged blade at his enemy. "Fukitsu Benihime."

Out of nowhere, a massive explosion of red power engulfed Greed, who was shot up into the air almost half a mile. He managed to stop himself in midair and glared down at the ground, but couldn't see Urahara. A blade sudden hacked across his back, drawing out a geyser of blood. He howled in pain and leaped away from his attacker. Urahara now stood directly across from him, his blade dripping with crimson liquid.

"Wh-what was that!?" Greed demanded. "How did you move so quickly!? Where did that explosion come from!?"

Kisuke gave the Sin a cold glare. "Even in shikai, Benihime isn't very kind. She loves to shed the blood of others. In bankai, I barely have any control at all. She takes over most of the time, at least until she gets bored of her opponent." He pointed his blade at his opponent again. "Unfortunately, she doesn't bore quickly."

Greed backed up a few steps. "'Unfortunately'?" he parroted.

Kisuke simply nodded. "For both of us."

The shopkeeper vanished in a flicker of movement, only to reappear an instant later in front of the Sin, his weapon poised to cleave him in half. Greed leaped back again, avoiding a potentially fatal attack, then rushed at the ex-Soul Reaper an attempt to slam his fist into the blond man's gut. Kisuke merely sidestepped the pathetic strategy and swung his blade upwards, slicing Greed's arm off like a hot knife through warm butter. The Sin shrieked in pain as grasped his stump, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

Urahara then slammed a kick into Greed's face, sending him spiraling toward the ground at nearly Mach-speed. The shopkeeper flickered into existence below him and delivered another powerful blow to Greed's stomach, launching the Sin toward the horizon and through three building before he finally managed to stop himself. He gasped for breath as he looked up at Urahara, who was walking almost casually towards him, his sword looking even more menacing by the second.

"Y-you stay away from me!" Greed shouted, trying his best and failing miserably to sound threatening. "D-don't you come any closer!"

Kisuke didn't acknowledge Greed's words. He simply kept walking forward. Greed stepped back in fear and panic. Death was the one thing that he didn't want. He hated the idea of dying. That was the only real reason he joined up with Lucifer in the first place. He feared death.

Terrified beyond all reason, Greed turned and rushed off as fast as he could, an expression of horror plastered across his face. He only knew at this point that he had to get away. He had to escape that madman. He couldn't die here. He wouldn't die here.

He felt a sudden stinging pain in his back. He could no longer run. He could barely move at all. He looked down at his chest. That wicked blade protruded from his chest. He could feel that it was right next to his heart, barely scraping the vital organ. He turned his head slowly to see the former Soul Reaper out of his peripheral vision. The blond man still bore no emotion on his face.

"I told you," Kisuke said ominously, "that the name of my bankai would be the last name that you would ever hear. I've never been one to go back on my word." With that said, he released a blast of crimson power that instantly annihilated Greed the Avaricious.

Greed's last thought before death took hold of him was, _No more._ His mind faded into blackness as his body became ashes.

Urahara released a deep breath as his zanpakuto returned to its shikai form. He hated using his bankai. It was too unpredictable. Too lethal. If he could, he would trade his bankai for any other in the world. But he was stuck with it.

_"Is that such a bad thing?" _asked the voice of Benihime within his mind. _"Admit it, Kisuke. You know you love me."_ Her tone was far from menacing. It was cocky, but in an endearing way that made it difficult to hate her.

Kisuke simply chuckled as he turned to face a huge band of demons that were charging straight towards him. "Yeah, yeah." He dropped into a fighting stance. "Let's just finish this as soon as possible." He charged forward, unleashing his blade upon the horde.

-o-

Kenpachi was having one hell of a time. The demons just kept coming and coming. There were so many that even Yachiru was running around and having a blast. Almost literally at some points. Her small but lethal blade tore through monster after monster as she ran around, laughing and screaming like a maniac. She leaped around, bouncing everywhere and piercing skulls. She was having the time of her life.

Suddenly, just as Kenpachi was about to slice one demon completely into tiny bits, something landed directly behind him, creating a massive explosion of debris. Something leaped out of the pillar of smoke towards him, but he managed to step away to avoid it. The figure pounced upon the demon that had been in front of him. It looked like it was _eating_ the demon.

When it finished its meal, the figure rose to its feet, revealing a huge, fat man with a bald head and a bulbous nose. He towered over Kenpachi, and had a hungry look in his scarred, blind eyes. "Smell blood…" the fat man said. "Smell food… time to eat…"

Yachiru Flash Stepped to Kenpachi's side and said, "Hey, he looks like he'd be fun to cut up, huh, Kenny?"

The Soul Reaper captain smirked. "Yeah. All that blubber just means more places to stab him. Hey, fat-ass, what's your name?"

The huge man cocked his head to the side once and said, "Gluttony… the Voracious… hungry… need to eat…"

That only made Kenpachi's grin grow wider. "Then you're gonna have to work for your meal, big guy. I'm not goin' down easy!"

"Go get 'im, Kenny!" Yachiru cheered as the mad swordsman charged towards his opponent.

-o-

**Translation for the curious:**

**Fukitsu Benihime: Japanese for "ominous/sinister red princess"**

**Hope you enjoyed, and I'll talk to you all later.**


	17. Hunger Unending

Kenpachi's blade slashed through Gluttony's inhumanly large stomach like nothing. Blood spilled out like a crimson waterfall, while the Sin stumbled back, clearly in pain. Kenpachi frowned as his opponent fell over, moaning in what was apparently agony. "Sheesh," he muttered. "I thought you were going to be tough. Get up off that lard pile of an ass and fight me like a man!"

Gluttony groaned as he sat up slowly, his massive girth apparently making that difficult for him as he struggled to make an upwards motion. When he was finally sitting upright, he said, "Tasty… more… more to eat…" Kenpachi looked at the demon with a confused stare. His exposed eye then went wide as Gluttony wound seemingly sewed itself shut. Even all the blood that had splattered all over the ground had disappeared. Gluttony managed to pick himself up off the ground and again towered over the Soul Reaper captain. "Want to eat… consume…" The giant suddenly vanished in a flicker of motion, reappearing behind Kenpachi. "Devour!"

Kenpachi barely had enough time to react as Gluttony slammed booth fists into the ground in an attempt to flatten the Reaper, who leaped away and landed several feet from the Sin. The battle-hungry Soul Reaper grinned at the giant and said, "Well, I guess you are gonna be a challenge. You're pretty damn fast someone so large."

Gluttony cocked his head as if confused. "Fast?" he asked. "No. Just hungry. Need to eat. Your scent… lots of spirit energy… you'll taste good…"

Kenpachi chuckled. "Well, I'm right here, big guy. What are you waiting for? Fight me already!" And at that instant, Kenpachi got his wish. Faster than anything he had ever seen before, Gluttony charged him and slammed his massive fist right into the captain's stomach. The Soul Reaper coughed up blood from the blow and was sent spiraling into the sky by Gluttony's sudden uppercut. He didn't even have time to recover as the Sin slammed his entire body into him from above, sending them both crashing back to the ground.

Yachiru watched with wide eyes as this happened. She hadn't seen Kenny take a beating like this since he fought Ares nearly two years ago, and the God of War could only do that by entering his true form. Gluttony was apparently far stronger than either of them had expected. Regardless, she was still certain that Kenny could win. If he could just release his shikai, he'd win for certain. "Come on, Kenny! Beat him silly!"

Gluttony stood from the crater that he had just created and stared at the pink-haired girl who was cheering Kenpachi on. He cocked his head again. She looked like she might a decent dessert once he finished with the guy with the eye patch. The Sin was just about to gorge himself when he saw the Soul Reaper standing up again, this time holding his sword in both hands and his eye patch lying torn on the ground.

"Still hungry, fat-ass?" he asked with a smirk. "Eat this!" He swung his sword down, sending out a massive shockwave at the massive blimp of a man and surrounding the entire area with a screen of debris and scattered dust and dirt. Kenpachi eyed the general direction in which Gluttony had been standing. It was times like these when he wished he could actually sense spiritual pressure properly. _Did that do it?_

His question was answered as the obscuring fog of dust cleared out. His eyes went wide with shock when he saw that Gluttony had been completely unharmed… and was apparently _eating _the sheer power that Kenpachi's kendo had sent out. The Sin was swallowing down the yellow spirit energy as if it were a beverage of some kind, gulping it audibly. When all the energy was finally gone, Gluttony wiped his mouth with his wrist. He didn't look satisfied. "Tasty… Eat more… eat you… eat you good!" Then, Gluttony's stomach opened like a vertical mouth lined with rows of jagged fangs, each one caked in dried blood from previous victims.

Before he could act, a swarm of black tendrils shot out of Gluttony's second mouth and wrapped around Kenpachi, gripping him with almost bone-breaking force and dragging him towards the gaping maw. He struggled against the tendrils futilely as he drew closer and closer to those countless teeth. The last thing he saw before being swallowed whole was Yachiru staring with a look of horror in her eyes. _Dammit,_ he thought as the mouth sealed shut around him.

Yachiru had no idea what to make of what had just happened. The man she had always seen as a father figure had just been swallowed whole by a huge fat monster of a man. But how? Kenny had defeated super strong Arrancars, beaten the Greek God of War Ares in a one-on-one fight, and was the one who had replaced Ares within the Greek pantheon of gods as a reward. Nobody should've been able to beat him! He was unstoppable!

Gluttony turned his attention over to the still-shocked Yachiru, his eyes still dominated by a twisted hunger. "Dessert…" he said in a low voice. He stomped towards her, his massive form towering over her, drool spilling out from his mouth. "Eat… you!"

Yachiru had reacted just fast enough to leap away from Gluttony's attempt to eat her whole. The Sin's face was now stuck in the ground, and Yachiru was just standing in the air, still staring with a shocked expression. Was that it for Kenny? Was he… dead? She shook her head. Of course he wasn't dead! He was Kenpachi Zaraki! It'd take more than what Gluttony could do to kill him. Still…

She shook her head again and drew out her zanpakuto, holding her weapon at the ready. She refused to believe that Kenny was dead. She had to at least make a stand against the Sin who had swallowed her captain whole. The behemoth of a man lumbered toward her. Saliva rolled past his teeth as he approached. Yachiru readied herself for what was clearly going to be the fight of her life.

She immediately sprinted at him with blistering speed, running under him and slashing at his ankles as she ran past. Gluttony turned and stared at her with a stupid look. He gave no real sign of feeling injured.

"Fast…" The Sin turned and made to chase Yachiru, who continued speeding around and around the man. He couldn't keep up with her sheer speed. He may have been able to move pretty fast himself, but she was practically blinding. It was annoying.

Gluttony slammed his arm into the ground right on front of the black and pink blur. Yachiru was going too fast to turn or stop herself in time, so she crashed directly into the Sin's surprisingly solid forearm. She groaned as she fell on her rump and looked up at Gluttony, who was now emitting a large amount of spiritual pressure. She could practically see it oozing off of him.

"Dessert shouldn't be so annoying…" he said as his stomach began to open up again. "You need to slow down… can't eat dessert if it keeps running around…" The second mouth upon his stomach opened wide, its gaping maw ready to devour the pink-haired girl. The tendrils came next, lashing out rapidly, and barely giving Yachiru any time to react. She managed to Flash Step out of the way just before the tentacles crashed into the ground where she was. She stopped in the air, staring down at the bloated giant with a wild look in her eyes.

"I'm not annoying!" she called out with a pout. "If anyone's annoying here, it's you! Why couldn't you just let Kenny cut you up like all the other monster guys!?" Gluttony cocked his head, as if he didn't understand. Yachiru then dashed towards the brute at maximum speed, her zanpakuto ready to pierce his skull. Gluttony did nothing to evade the attack.

_SCHLUK._

The blade slid through right between the demon's eyes, its tip poking out the back of his head. Slight traces of blood trickled out of the wounds, to which Yachiru grinned and giggled. She dropped down to the ground and beamed at the second mouth, thinking that Kenpachi would be able to pull himself out now. After several seconds, however, nothing happened, and the young Soul Reaper lieutenant's smile slowly began to fade.

Suddenly, Gluttony's right arm began to move, much to Yachiru's shock. He groaned as he reached up to his face and began to pull the sword out, gripping the hilt with two meaty fingers. When the blade was finally removed, the Sin dropped it onto the ground with a loud clang.

"Stings…" he muttered with what sounded like slight frustration in his tone. Gradually, his body seemed to grow and expand, larger and larger, and Yachiru just watched with wide, unbelieving eyes. Gluttony didn't stop scaling up until he was easily over a hundred feet tall, and half as wide, his stomach-mouth looking a thousand times more vile. "Now I'm even hungrier… I'll have to eat the whole city…" With that said, his actual mouth opened wide. Far wider than what was naturally possible. His teeth became monstrous fangs that looked sharper than any blade. His tongue was no longer existent. The inside of his mouth was a gaping void.

Yachiru stared at Gluttony's towering form with eyes full of shock and another emotion she had only ever felt a very small handful of times before: fear. Pure, legitimate fear. She could sense it, too: Gluttony's power was far greater than even Ares' true form. She was nothing to this monster. She was going to be eaten, and there was nothing she could do about it. There she stood, staring in terror at the behemoth, waiting to be devoured.

_You're pathetic,_ a deep, threatening, masculine voice suddenly spoke in her mind. She looked around frantically to find the speaker, but inevitably found herself drawn to her zanpakuto, which had landed next to her feet._ You're standing in front of the most powerful opponent you'll ever fight, and you're cowering like a newborn. You're hopeless._

Suddenly, Yachiru found herself in a forest unlike any she had ever seen in her life. It was humid, the air sticky with moistness. She heard no sound around her in the tropical woods, save for the sound of throaty growling behind her. She turned to find a massive tiger the size of a house lying before her, covered in battle scars and wearing cracked and torn armor that had seen more than its fair share of battle. Its hide was red as fire, and its eyes seemed to spark like lightning. "It's about damn time you got here, brat," the tiger said in an irritated tone. "I was wondering when you'd finally hear me."

"You're…" Yachiru began as she stared at the great beast in wonder. "You're my zanpakuto, aren't you?"

The tiger made a sound akin to scoffing at her. "What do you think? There's nobody else in this hellhole you call your soulscape. What else could I be?"

"If you're my zanpakuto, then… can you tell me your name?"

The tiger rolled his eyes. "I don't have to, you little snot. You already know it. Now get back out there and kick that lard-ass back down to hell, will you?"

And with that, she was back in the real world, Gluttony towering over her like a living skyscraper. She had her zanpakuto in hand now. She looked at the blade, then back up to Gluttony, renewed determination flaring in her eyes. She held up her sword, pointing it to the sky, cried out the first words that came to mind:

"Break through the frontlines, Akumatora!"

-o-

**Translations for the curious:**

**Akumatora: Japanese for "devil tiger"**

**Hope you guys enjoyed! See you later... wait...**


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